


Glitch

by Starsoarer



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Anankos actually has a plan, Awakening Trio aren't just cameos, But that's not too hard for Fates, Canon-Typical Violence, Fates' world but spoilers for both Fates and Awakening, Gen, Suspense, Worldbuilding, people die when they are killed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-04-07 01:35:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 93,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14070051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starsoarer/pseuds/Starsoarer
Summary: Robin should be dead, should no longer even exist. And yet here he was, very much alive. Unfortunately, nothing comes for free.





	1. Anankos

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-posted from FF.net  
> Beta'd by A.O. Talmidge.

**Chapter 1 - Anankos**

* * *

Silence.

Maddening, festering Silence. A familiar itch.

Minutes, days, years, ( _betrayed_ ) coalescing into the still form of a titanic stone mask, upright, tilted to the side, embedded in a cracked wall behind a ruined throne.

_Alone._

_Forgotten._

_Betrayed_.

Despite dozens, ( _thousands? millions?_ ) of its ( _whose? his?_ ) attempts there was no movement, no stirring, no people. The throne room remained desolate, dust and debris strewn haphazardly across the floor. But-

The darkness flashed and the room was alive. Nobles lingered about, some dancing, whilst servants weaved through guests with refreshment. Music so familiar, calming, soothing,  _agonizing_. A light blue-haired figure sat on a resplendent throne. The king,  _traitor,_  looked up with calm yellow eyes, gazed directly at him, a smile on his lined face. His mouth opened to speak-

**_Traitor!_ **

The façade dispersed and the decrepit room shuddered, and  _it_  felt the vein of cracks in the stone mask around it expand. Rubble shifted as yet another column fractured, falling prone. Minutes mixed with millennia passed, as the room grew silent once more.

Beautiful, alluring, blessed,  _cursed_  Silence.

_Hatred._

_Loathing._

_Betra-_

The world  **shifted.**

And for the first time in hours, years ( _eons?_ ), the Silence paused.

The Silent Dragon, Anankos stirred. There was no movement, but thought processes he had assumed long ago consumed in his single-minded thirst for revenge awoke. For a brief moment, he felt almost…whole?

In an instant, that moment of clarity was ripped from his mind as all but a small portion of sanity left him. He felt something, something amiss, something powerful in the-  _his_ world.

The mask blocked out all vision. Perfect darkness. But this had long ago become meaningless. Darkness did not mean there wasn't anything to  _see_.

Anankos unfurled his influence and turned his fractured mind toward his servants. Information flooded into his mind, the largest portion coming from where much of his power was focused: Garon, the fool who had once sought to oppose him. Memories of the decaying state of Nohr, his influence increasing the push for expansion by way of conquest, along with the people he ( _no, Garon)_ once called family flashed before him.

This was not what had stirred him. Anger spread across his ( _no, Garon's)_  face, confusing those present in the Nohrian throne room. The Silent Dragon quickly dismissed the scene.

Anankos turned his attention closer, toward the dead kingdom that had once spurned him: Valla, his domain now. Orders without words relayed across the ruined domain, and the masses that served him searched anywhere, everywhere for the disturbance.

Information flooded to his mind, but none of it mattered, none of it explained what had happened. As his impatience rose, the scouting parties were quickly given the order to split into single units to hunt faster. Minutes stretched into hours into lifespans  _(or perhaps, no time at all)_  as the search continued.

The Silence was once again becoming deafening.

Then at last, something of interest, something unfamiliar, flowed into his mind. One of his servants, a woman of no consequence save she could wield a sword with some finesse, reported a finding. Anankos looked through her mind.

His eyes opened to her view of a field, with a prone figure about three-dozen feet away, sprawled haphazardly across the ground. A quick scan of the figure's exposed scraggly white hair showed him it wasn't the frequent trespasser come to pine for a kingdom that was no longer hers. The tattered black cloak decorated with gold and purple designs was in an unfamiliar style.

The figure, a man if his appearance was any indication, stirred with a groan as Anankos' servant approached at a slow, unconcerned pace, drawing the steel short-sword buckled to her ragged tunic.

Of course, the man saw nothing as the once mercenary approached, ( _two-dozen feet away now_ ) nigh invisible to any but the most perceptive eye. The cloaked man opened his eyes blearily, and slowly sat up, clutching his forehead.

He abruptly stopped and brought his right hand down to eye level to look at something unseen, muttering something. He looked to his surroundings, gaping, confusion plain on his face. Was this truly the source of the disturbance he felt? Merely another soul fallen into the gate at the Bottomless Canyon? It mattered not. Anankos would know for sure soon enough anyways.

There were no secrets amongst his servants.

A twig snapped under the mercenary's foot, and the man quickly turned to face the general direction of the sound. His eyes glanced around, as he called a tentative, "...Hello?"

At a dozen feet away, the man hastily brought himself up standing, turning this way and that. At six feet, the mercenary prepped her sword for a back stab. Right in range, the man turned, settling his gaze on the mercenary's location. His eyes widened.

_Perceptive, but too late_. The sword plunged towards the man's heart.

And  _missed._

With a "Whoa!" the man twisted in what seemed to be a desperate dodge, ending with him falling onto his backside. The mercenary turned the remaining momentum of her stab to jump into a downward jab, but the man rolled himself out of harm's way and pushed himself onto his feet in one motion, though he seemed unsteady. He reached with his right hand into the cloak as if to pull out a weapon, but seemed surprised when he came up with nothing.

The cloaked man began backing away, eyes now scanning the area, not focusing on the mercenary. He must have lost sight of her when he dodged.

"I don't suppose we could talk this over?" he called. The mercenary swung yet again in answer to his question.

The man ducked the swing of the steel, and followed up with a sweeping kick that took the mercenary's legs out from under her. The shared view shifted to the ground as she landed hard. Even with no air to breath the impact stunned the woman enough that she lost the grip on her sword. Sudden pressure on her back followed by cool metal touching the back of his ( _no, her)_  neck indicated where the sword had gone. The contact must have broken the invisibility magic, as the man stared right into the mercenary's, and by extension, his, eyes. She struggled under the man's boot on her back, which kept her pinned.

"I'll take that as a 'no,' then."

Anankos felt no fear, nor could the husk of the mercenary part of his power occupied. The man was skilled nonetheless, worth more effort than a single mercenary. Of course, more of Anankos' army was quickly closing in on his position, while others were nearly finished charging magic for teleportation.

"Now then," the man pushed his boot down harder while the sword tip drove in nearly to the point of drawing blood, even if there was no blood to draw. "Who sent you and what do they want with me?" Silence was his answer. Despite how observant his question was, it was foolish to try to question one who would not answer.

A sigh. "Okay then, how about something easier. Where are we? I mean, it's not every day you see an island with a lake suspended in the air above you."

Anankos changed his focus as a report flowed into his mind. His perspective shifted from the ground to an aerial view partially obscured by the bird-like head of a kinshi. At his order, the rider of the giant bird quickly let a volley of arrows loose, flying towards the man, who staggered as one lodged into his left shoulder grunting in pain. He quickly looked up with narrowed eyes in the general trajectory of the barrage, but of course saw nothing.

"Of course her reinforcements are also invisible. Should've seen that coming." The man proceeded to knock the pommel down hard on to the mercenary's head with his good arm, and did what any sane person would do.

Run.

A torrent of arrows from Anankos' Kinshi Knights chased the man through the nearby ruined shrine as he ducked and weaved through the pillars to give himself cover.

Resourceful, perhaps, but ultimately pointless. Once the kinshi were directly overhead, the ruins would provide no cover. The man seemed to realize this as he headed towards a small nearby forest.

_Perfect._

As the man reached the edge of the forest, a large force headed by one of Anankos' generals teleported in in front of him. Though the force of his servants were nigh invisible, the man quickly stumbling to a stop proved he had not missed the large surge of magic that accompanied the teleportation.

Anankos ordered a halt on the hail of arrows and shifted his view again, this time to his general, who was at the head of the formation. He saw the man panting slightly and leaning on the stolen sword for support, eyes tired, but calculating. He sported a few more arrows, one protruding through his cloak around his calf. Certainly, he was more resilient than expected; most would be in shock with even one arrow in them.

He could be useful.

Anankos' general phased into plain view on his order, riding forward on her mount, even as the rest of his force advanced to surround the man.

"There is no reason to run anymore," she gestured to herself. "You stand before one of the generals of Anankos, the rightful ruler of Valla."

The man met the shared view of the general's eyes with confusion. "Valla? Anankos? Never heard of them."

She chuckled. "You would be dead if you had." The man's eyes narrowed in confusion, but she continued as Anankos willed it. "But worry not, as for you, this will be a momentous day. You should be honored that the great Anankos has chosen you to become one of his servants."

"And if I say no?"

Had he a working mouth still, Anankos would have smirked. Even so, it must have bled through the link to the general, Arete, as a smirk grew on her face as well. The ghostly light of dark magic appeared around her hand, and the sound of weapons being readied echoed through the gathered army.

"The will of the Silent Dragon is absolute. You have no choice in the matter."

The man looked around, his gaze shifting from soldiers he shouldn't be able to see, to the surrounding landscape and back to Arete, finally seeming to come to a decision. He winced as he stood straight, stumbling slightly because of his injury.

"Very well, you've made your point. I'll come with you." He stuck the stolen sword into the dirt and backed away from it, limping. "I surrender."

Arete frowned. "That's too bad. I was hoping for more of a challenge." The dark magic in her palm quickly grew in intensity before it launched out in an instant at the man. His eyes widened as he made to dodge, but was quickly grabbed hold of by one of the surrounding soldiers.

The magic lanced through the man's heart and he gasped out, presumably in pain. The soldier let go and the man staggered forward into a kneeling position, one hand clutching his chest. Arete dismounted her horse and sauntered up to him.

"W-Why did you…?" the man gasped out.

Arete leaned over to cup his chin, forcing him to look into her, and by extension, Anankos' eyes. "It's nothing more than I said I would do, foolish boy." She smiled almost tenderly as Anankos extended his will from her, seeping in through the contact.

"Do you feel it, the power of the Silent Dragon overtaking you?" Her grip shifted to his neck and tightened. "Even as your body dies, can't you feel his power making you stronger?!"

The man was choking now, his hands uselessly clawing at Arete's iron grip. Violet flames, which radiated off all his servants, slowly began to appear ( _too soon)_ around the man. He was nearly dead.

Anankos readied his will to take over the man's mind. The wait stretched out over another eternity.

Finally, in a death rattle, the light left his eyes.

The Silent Dragon dived in eagerly searching for answers, unfurling himself into the man's mind. A layer of memories were taken, tossed aside, torn through, until at last he reached-

What was…?

In an instant, he was rebuked, cast out of the man's mind.

Anankos reeled, but quickly reoriented his consciousness to Arete, who seemed to be retreating, but from what? As Arete turned back, the sight before told him all he needed to know.

The man, who should be dead and under his power, lay on the ground cloaked in dark flames. Shadowy spikes of dark magic littered the surrounding area skewering dozens of his servants, both ground and flying troops. A mark on the man's right hand glowed with sickly light.

In an extension of his anger, the rest of the army swelled forward, but met with the same fate at more spikes of dark magic surged from the ground, serving both to kill those close enough and block off view of the man.

In a frenzy, the remains of his army surged, both with steel and magic, toward the enclosure, which promptly exploded outward. Arete shielded her eyes, and protected herself with a barrier of wind, but those around were not so lucky. No noise erupted from what once were people, but they abruptly fell to the ground, lifeless once again. Anankos could no longer feel his power in them.

In the center of the clearing, dying dark flames littered the ground.

The man was gone.

_No._

_NO._

Arete staggered as his link with her abruptly cut, but Anankos did not care. As the last vestiges of sanity left, one last order echoed through the minds of his servants.

_Find him._

_Find him!_

**_FIND HIM!_ **

Castle Gyges shook with its rage, until all was still, and the Silence overtook it once more.

_Rage._

_Death._

_Betrayal._

Silence. Maddening, festering.

Silence.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome to my madness! Er, story that is. Ever tried writing an insane character with enough power to make it a pseudo omniscient narrative point of view? I certainly hadn't, but that's just how we're going to roll with Anankos in this story.
> 
> We're just getting started.


	2. Meeting

**Chapter 2 – Meeting**

* * *

"Thank you for your patronage!"

Anna reflexively slipped into the universally patented 'cute shopkeeper' pose, her index finger poised on her chin while she strained out her best customer service smile.

Which immediately dropped into a dejected sigh as soon as her latest customer regrouped with his caravan and was down the path, out of sight.

Gold, way less than what the markup on her last elixir should have cost, was carefully slipped into a safe on her cart. She sighed, "Looks like I need to restock on medicines in the capital."

No reason to complain, right? After all, business was business, and the Anna quality guarantee didn't come cheap; she could practically have her own trade empire by now!

Or so her family always told her.

A frustrated groan escaped her as she collapsed into a heap, her head leaning up against to the back left wheel of her cart.

"Ugh, why am I so bad at this?" She clutched her head, hands covering the sight of the world she didn't want to deal with right now.

Her audience snorted and she heard him stamp his hooves in place, unimpressed at her antics. She sighed, her arms flopping to her sides.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. 'I can't just give up because one sale went bad.'" Actually, it was the last four,  _not that she was counting_. "Or maybe, 'Annas are never quitters.'" She turned to her equine companion. "Something like that?"

Her horse, Aden, nickered before he abruptly pulled the cart forward a few feet, making her flail a moment before the back of her head landed hard against a rock protruding from the ground.

Her head throbbed as she quickly sat up, and she rubbed her hand on the aching spot a moment before glaring at the offending animal. He glared back in a short standoff before snorting again, turning his gaze to the path ahead.

Anna rolled her eyes as she stood. She brushed off the dirt sticking to her dark maroon cloak before walking up to her companion.

"You know, you're lucky I need you to pull the cart, right?" She glared a moment longer before stroking his snout, earning a soft neigh of contentment. In return, he forcefully nuzzled her, nipping at the end of her ponytail.

She huffed, turning her head so her red hair was out of the way. "No, sorry, I can't afford give you treats every time you cheer me up. You should know better than that by now." She vaulted up to the cart's drivers seat and settled in.

"Come on, there's a good place to camp not too far ahead, and we need to get there before it gets dark." She snapped the reins.

Aden refused to move despite her continued urging.

Grumbling, she reached towards her pack in the cart behind her, bringing out one of her last apples. She hopped back down and stopped before him.

"You're spoiled, you know that?"

He simply stared at the apple. Rolling her eyes Anna extended the fruit and his tongue lashed out to grab the treat. Even once she was back on her cart, he refused to move until finished.

He shook his mane, making a smug neigh as she snapped the reins, setting off in a trot.

* * *

She was so lost in her own thoughts, that it wasn't until she was frantically trying to calm her horse that Anna realized she had nearly ridden over someone lying near the middle of the path.

She quickly hopped off her cart, a flurry of apologies flying from her mouth. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going and…and, um."

The person below her didn't respond. She crouched down, inspecting them closer.

"Are you…okay?" No response.

Wait.

Anna's heart rate spiked, and she stood straight, eyes darting around even as her hands drew the sword strapped to her waist, gripping the it tightly. Young though she might be, she liked to think she wasn't naive.

Didn't this reek of a classic setup for an ambush? A cart or concerned traveler would stop to check on a 'distressed' or 'unconscious' traveler, but in return for their concern, would be jumped by reinforcements, mugged, and in extreme cases, killed, before their goods were stolen.

And she had just waltzed right into it.

Her eyes darted around, expecting to see bandits swarming around her and her merchandise, but...nothing happened. A long tense minute passed, before she chanced a glance back at the man in the path, her horse practically right on top of him. He was face down in the dirt, hand clutching a few water skins, and he neither moved to attack nor cried for help, or did  _anything_ for that matter.

Actually, now that she got a better look around, the open expanse of the field around her offered barely any cover for an ambush. A nearby stream burbled.

She swallowed. Were bandits really becoming this bold just half a day's ride away from Izumo's capital, or was she freaking out for no reason?

The wind picked up and a noxious, burnt odor assaulted her nose, making her cough. Her horse let out a panicked neigh and she turned sooth him. Before she could do anything, however, he reared up and she backed away, realizing only as she fell that the person was now behind her. With an undignified yelp, she crashed into a heap, her sword spinning from her grasp. She was surprised, though grateful, that her awkward landing was soft.

Until she untangled herself and realized with horror that the softness was due to the now very obvious corpse underneath her.

A previous victim?

Realizing she was still on top of him she rapidly jumped up and shifting away from the body in disgust. she tried talking down her frazzled nerves, even as she slapped her cheeks.

"Pull yourself together, Anna. I mean, look at the bright side! At least  _you_  weren't the victim. That's something, right? Eheh, heh…" All the while that horrid smell still invaded her nose. A shiver crept up her spine, but not from the cool spring air.

She coughed again. Covering the lower part of her face with her left arm, she attempted to soothe her horse before picking up her sword. She did this all while looking for the source of the stench, even as her instincts were screaming at her to climb back on her cart and run.

Morbid curiosity won before she could, however, as she spotted smoke rising into the air over a small hill in the field a short distance away on her left.

Anna soothed Aden as best she could, and despite her trepidation, began the small trek towards the source of the smoke. As she walked closer, another shiver crawled up her spine, and she slowed and went more carefully. Crouching the rest of the way, she crested the small hill.

Her eyes widened as she stood, stealth forgotten.

The still forms people and animals surrounded a fire pit, which spewed the black smoke she'd spotted earlier, belching out the burnt remains of a meal. Their bodies were collapsed in unnatural angles. With growing horror she spotted the man to whom she sold the elixir earlier; his form was slumped backwards over a log beside another person, a woman. Both had lifeless glassy eyes staring at the sky.

This was the caravan from earlier. This…this had happened recently.

She barely succeeded in fighting off the urge to vomit. Even so, she wiped her mouth and focused her attention back to the scene. Something was…wrong. Wrong even beyond the horrid sight in front of her now. As she carefully trod down the hill towards the former caravan, realization hit her.

There were no wounds on any of the bodies.

No slashes, arrows, burns, or  _anything_  that would indicate some form of attack. It was as if one moment they were alive, and the next they had just… _died_.

Anna' arm began trembling involuntarily, her grip on her sword shaking in tandem. The horror before her made her forget to watch her step, and she tripped over a branch. Hopping to regaining her balance, she spun to face it, and in her panic pointed her sword at the offending stick.

Her blade was carefully lowered when she realized what she was looking at. The 'stick' was an arrow protruding out of a cloaked man's body; one of many, now that she took another look. After a moment of nearly throwing up again, her eyes scrunched in confusion.

Compared to the surrounding scene, the arrows made no sense.

If the unearthly chill in the air was any indication, the attack on the caravan was the result of some powerful dark ritual…thing. But then, why bother using arrows at all, if instant death was the result? Had the man been a guard, spotted the offending mages and rushed to engage them, only to meet the defending arrows of archers? A sacrifice?

No, it didn't add up.

Curious, Anna crouched down to get a better look. Unlike the others, his clothes bore signs of battle, some of it recent. The tattered black cloak was in a design she didn't recognize had sustained heavy damage, both from the arrows, and other previous unknown attacks.

She lifted the material and felt it between her fingers: the inside was softer than she expected while the outer layer felt more durable than it looked. If not for its shabby appearance combined with the blood stains around the protruding arrows, it must have at one point been very nice cloak, even if the design was strange. Who would want to stitch representations of eyes on the sleeves of a cloak?

If he had been, well,  _alive_ , she would have asked the man where he got it.

Letting go of the material, her eyes were drawn to a scar on his chest which showed through a hole burnt through his shirt. She traced the damage with her hand, recognizing it as the brunt of some dark magic attack near his heart, possibly confirming the involvement of dark mages in the caravan's attack. Regardless, whoever this guy had been, he'd gone through the wringer more than once. She felt his chest move up as he breathed-

Her thoughts ground to a halt: he was  _breathing_.

Didn't that mean-

Was he alive?

Anna floundered a moment before she checked for a pulse. The beat was faint, but there.

"H-hey, can you hear me?" There was no reply.

Even when she slapped him, he made no response.

She stood and frantically looked around; the dead-eyed audience surrounding her was  _not_  encouraging. She wasn't a healer! Even though she sold healing rods and staves, she couldn't actually  _use_  them. And, she had just sold the last elixir in her stock to-

Her gaze met with her customer from earlier.

She glanced back to the probably dying man. "Uh, hold on a second!"

She dashed over, doing her best to ignore the fact she was passing by both people and animals that were very much dead, and rifled through her previous customer's pockets.

She growled in frustration. "Come on, where is it?"

There! Her hand met the familiar shape of the bottle that not less than half a day earlier she had sold from her stock. For a moment she paused: was it really okay to just take this? Maybe she didn't know these people, but mere hours before, they had been alive.

She shook her head. No time to think.

Quickly unstopping the mixture, she hurried back to the maybe nearly dead man. Tilting his head up, she opened his mouth and slowly poured the potion in.

The man reflexively swallowed. For what felt like an agonizing minute, nothing happened. Weren't elixirs supposed to work quicker? Anna worried that in her haste she'd messed something up.

His eyes snapped open and he took a huge gulp of air, one hand immediately going to his neck as he gasped in and out for air. His eyes darted around frantically, unfocused.

"Whoa, whoa, easy," she murmured, trying to assuage some unknown fear. The man's eyes locked on to her so suddenly it made her pause. "Uh, are you okay?"

Internally, she berated herself; of course he wasn't okay! He'd probably been teetering on death's door for who knows how long now!

"…Anna?" his voice croaked.

Her mind reeled. He knew her? How? She racked her brain trying to place his face, but came up blank. One of her sisters, then?

It wasn't until she felt man go slack in her grip, that she noticed his eyes roll up into his head as he promptly passed out.

"No no, stay with me!" His only response was a groan, even after she slapped him again.

She pinched the bridge of her nose. This was getting surreal. A dying man who might know her in the middle of a caravan of corpses. Whatever the case was, he owed her for what she was about to do, big time.

After snapping the shafts of the arrows off, Anna awkwardly half carried, half dragged the man back to her cart. She shoved aside merchandise to make room, before she was able to get the man situated inside.

Glancing at the setting sun, she tried to judge how much longer she had until she would reach Izumo's capital. The area around the capital city should have been relatively safe, even at night. But this attack, or, whatever it was, severely shook her confidence.

She went back her horse, who neighed worriedly as she approached. He looked very eager to get moving again.

"Yeah, I'm spooked about all of this too, Aden." She stroked his mane and glanced back towards the unconscious man in her cart. He needed medical attention, far more than she could hope to give. Thankfully, she knew a good healer.

Turning back to the path ahead, she patted her horse once more before boarding her cart. "Looks like we'll be going further than I thought today." She snapped the reins. "C'mon. Let's go."

For once, her horse complied without complaint.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anna has no idea what she's getting herself mixed up into. She's also unintentionally genre savvy, since if this was an actual Fire Emblem Game, there would have been bandits.
> 
> Also, though the story will make it clear before too long, no, this story won't be following any of FE Fates "paths." It's been done before by other authors, and I don't want to just insert Robin into Fates' existing story.


	3. Izumo

**Chapter 3** **– Izumo**

* * *

Most of the city was late to stir this morning. Typical of humans to kick off a week-long celebration one night early. Kaden had always noticed that it seemed to happen more often in the capital city of Izumo. Was it because of how peaceful it was, or was it something in the air?

Kaden took a deep breath and cringed, fox-like ears twitching underneath a bandanna. Could be. He rubbed his nose and shook off the distasteful scent, ignoring the odd look a passerby gave him and focused. After his morning grooming, and double checking his immaculate appearance, Kaden was more than ready to face the streets of Izumo's capital. And after this, today was going to be perfect.

Hands locking lazily behind his head, he hummed the tune of a tavern song he'd heard last night, tail unintentionally twitching to the rhythm under the cloak hiding it. Of course, even with his cheery outlook, he wasn't naive. Bright as Izumo was, there was always a dark underside to every city, a fact he knew all too well.

As he turned into one of the main market streets, he spotted the stall of his target.

Time to get to work.

* * *

A distant loud bang jolted Anna from her sleep. The following racket from animals and the far off sounds of people screaming however, she ignored.

Probably just a cart crash or something. Never a dull moment in the Izumite capital after all. The level of noise was already encroaching on the noise she had entered to the night before.

In other words, she felt right at home.

Thankfully, she didn't need to get up just yet, as she arrived in the capital a day earlier than expected because of-

Oh.

Everything, the fear, the uncertainty, all of it came rushing back. The sooner she dealt with this the better.

She groaned, rubbing sleep out of her eyes as she made to get ready.

* * *

Unfortunately, the op went wrong.

The escape went smoothly enough, and Kaden was already in an alleyway well out of sight of the fallout before anyone could react. However, if the screams and angry shouting he heard was anything to go by, he might need to pick up the pace, just in case something else had gone wrong.

Winding his way erratically through the backstreets, he shed the cloak and bandanna that covered the ears and tail that marked him as a kitsune - no one would be looking for one, after all - he eventually made his way to a small park where the sakura trees were in full bloom. The rendezvous spot. Since it was still relatively early in the morning, barely anyone was there. He spotted a familiar man on a bench in an out of the way corner wave him over.

"You weren't followed?" the young man in slightly ratty Hoshidan styled clothes asked expectantly. Kaden sat down, making sure not to get too close to him. Surprisingly, there was no blood on him.

"No." Kaden frowned. "The look on that man's face when he realized what was happening was..."  _Terrifying._ "Needless to say, it'll draw attention to his operation like you wanted."

The young man nodded, a satisfied looking smirk on his face. "With the evidence I nicked in the confusion, the city guard should have no choice but to crack down on their smuggling operation soon. No amount of bribery can stop cold hard evidence." His gaze shifted to Kaden. "You're pretty good at playing the innocent bystander, kitsune. You make a good distraction. If you wanted, you could easily join up with-"

Kaden cut him off, waving his hand dismissively. "Nah, I was only repaying a favor." Kaden owed the boss of this particular vigilante group for saving his life once; however, it wouldn't do for the man sitting here to know that. Not to mention, after that display, he was less than impressed with this guy's methods, even if the outcome was mostly good.

"You say that every time!" The man laughed easily, reaching over with a hand grimy with something he didn't want to think about and slapped Kaden on the back before he could flinch away. Kaden glanced about, but no one else in the park payed them any mind. "You've done enough 'favors' for us that you're practically part of the group already." Kaden caught the jibe, but chose to ignore it for the time being.

His ears twitched. "Maybe, but I'm not going to be here much longer. Don't worry though; I won't ever say anything to anyone about you guys." He really didn't have the time to join up with anything as he was planning to leave Izumo as soon as the festival was over. He'd been here far too long. Favors owed or no, he itched to get away from the city.

Kaden stood, giving the young man a slight bow. "Pleasure doing business with you."

If the young man was miffed at the abrupt end to the conversation, he didn't show it. Instead, he stood. "We'll contact you again if we need you." He returned the bow, and left Kaden where he stood. Silently, Kaden hoped he would never see the young man again. With the stunt he pulled, he wouldn't be surprised if that's exactly what happened.

Sighing, he sat back down on the bench, brushing a bit of dirt off the part of his clothes where the young man had slapped him. His gaze drifted towards the sakura trees, and he leaned back on the bench, drinking in their scent and beauty. For a long moment, he could imagine that the smell belonged to one of the groves of sakura trees outside the old kitsune hamlet.

* * *

Weaving her way through the crowds of the marketplace, Anna could tell the festivities were in full swing, even on the first day. Though the rest of the city was still waking up, the market, even in the mornings, was barely controlled chaos during the Festival of Spring.

Throngs of early morning shoppers, both servants and eager tourists alike, moved in waves around carts offloading supplies for the various vendors, creating a cacophony of noise. All the while, said vendors hawked their wares, haggling often devolving into arguing. The rest of the landscape was dotted by the city guard, and if she squinted, the occasional hopeful young pickpocket. Everything moved in a familiar dance that put her nerves at ease.

However, she could appreciate the atmosphere, and of course, all of the business it brought, later. Right now, she had business with Akio, the former monk she had left the injured man with last night. She wouldn't have normally used him, but the situation surrounding how she found the white-haired man felt too suspicious to use any normal clinic.

However, as she was continuing through the main thoroughfare towards the district where the monk was, a large crowd gathered in in front of one of the marketplace stalls caught her eye. Considering that the injured man wasn't going anywhere, Anna let curiosity get the better of her and she meandered towards them, stopping at the edge of the onlookers. She carefully winded her way through the mass of people, catching snippets of conversation as she went.

"-was there when the magic went off-"

"-idea where it came from-"

"-this doesn't happen often here does it?"

"-you don't think it was  _them_  do you?"

In the middle Anna was greeted by the charred remains of a fruit stall, its contents splattered all over the street, around and nearby buildings and stalls. Her eyes flicked to a portly middle-aged man arguing with two guards gesturing wildly to a-

She froze. The eyes of a dead man stared blankly back.

"-is he still alive-"

"-had the best peaches-"

"-forever to clean-"

"-is that Spirit Dust?"

"-guards even doing with our taxes-"

She shook her head, ducking back through the crowd and turned into an alley to get away from the commotion. She crouched down, back leaning against the hard, stone alleyway, the scene from the evening before racing through her mind.

It wasn't the same thing. The former stall owner had clearly been stabbed. But the reminder was enough to make her breakfast threaten to show its face. It must have made a bigger impact than she thought.

She paused and took a deep shuddering breath to calm her nerves, trying to regain focus.

Right. Akio.

Straightening, glad that no one had been around to see her freak out, she oriented herself towards her destination and began to run. Choosing a route that would put her far away from the scene, Anna quickly made her way through the backstreets.

Eventually, after a few minutes, she stopped to catch her breath a moment on a bench at a small park where above, the sakura trees were in full bloom.

When Anna regained her composure, she nearly startled when she spotted a kitsune, who appeared to be napping on the bench across from her. While she had encountered a few on her travels before, seeing one out of their homeland further south, especially inside a city was rare, even if it was for a festival.

As if alerted by her stare, the kitsune opened his eyes and stared at her for a moment, before giving her a cheery grin and a small wave. Anna was too tired and dumbfounded to respond, and before she knew it, he had walked off tossing a small sack that jangled a bit, maybe with coins up and down in his hands.

She shook her head. If she spent too much more time meandering, she would end up wasting hours where she could be setting up shop, and of course making profit. That was the Anna way after all.

She sighed, getting up and dusting off her cloak and proceeded onward.

Unfortunately, a growing headache accompanied Anna as she continued on in the mid-morning sun, the sounds of a city gearing up towards the first full night of true revelry pervading even this quiet area of the city.

She banged on the door of a small nondescript house.

As she waited for a response, Anna rubbed her tired eyes, despite that it would do nothing for how fatigued she felt. The trip to Izumo had taken at least half of the night. Stress had been her companion, keeping her alert, but it had been harrowing for her nerves and taxing on her body.

Almost a minute passed with no response. Groaning, she banged on the door again.

She heard a voice call from within. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming; no need to be impatient!" Even then, it took another agonizing minute before the door latched open. A harrowed looking young man dressed in bedraggled traditional Hoshidan monk robes answered the door, glaring at her. "What do you…?"

He stopped as Anna met his gaze a moment. Recognition flashed in his eyes. "Oh, uh, Anna." She knew him, both as an infrequent festal and staff customer, and as a useful contact for getting ahold of some rarer medicines. However, more importantly, he was a healer that you went to when you wanted to be discreet.

"Sorry." He glanced out at the street, and then back at her. "Do you need something? I mean, I know you said you wanted to restock on rare medicines last night, but I don't have-"

She cut him off. "The man I brought in last night, on my cart." Akio's face looked more haggard than usual this morning. Maybe he was just tired. She did bring the injured man in question in the middle of the night after all. "How is he?"

He glanced out at the street, and then back at her again. "Please, come in. We can speak more in a moment after I finish cleaning up." Nodding, Anna made her way into the familiar sitting room and sat down as Akio took off towards a side room. It was a different one than the room she had helped carry the white haired man into last night.

Before long, Akio returned and sat down in a nearby chair, sagging in apparent relief.

"Rough night?"

"That doesn't cover the least of it." There was silence while the man seemed to be trying to regain some sense of composure, but didn't look like he was doing particularly well. "Sorry for the delay. While I can't give out details for obvious reasons, someone else was brought in this morning in a bad state. They actually just left before you came in. Overall, it wouldn't have been too bad if I wasn't already tired from caring for the man you brought in last night."

He ran a hand through his hair. "His superficial wounds have been healed, though there were some complications." The monk glanced at her. "It would seem you used a potent healing medicine while the arrows were still in him."

It wasn't a question and Anna shifted uncomfortably, but the monk looked away and continued on. "It probably saved him from bleeding out, as all of the wounds were knitted together, but the arrowheads were still embedded in his body." The monk rubbed his brow. "All in all it made for far more work. Not untreatable, just more difficult. Honestly, he was lucky none of the arrows hit anything vital. Other than that, he appears to be fine, just unconscious. If you need to, he can be safely moved out of here now; however, I recommend letting him rest for at least a day if you do."

"No, it's fine if he stays here for now."

Akio nodded and a time of silence passed between them. He fidgeted with his fingers before he looked up at her. "I understand if you can't answer, but how do you know him?"

Anna shuffled in her seat. "I don't. Or at least, I don't think I do. I found him barely alive in a dead caravan while travelling here yesterday. After I got him relatively stable, he was briefly conscious, and said my name before he passed out again."

His expression shifted, thoughtful. "Perhaps he thought you were one of your sisters?"

Anna nodded. "That's what I was thinking."

"At least the attack it wasn't in the city." The monk frowned. "Were their deaths the result of dark magic?"

"I…" She hesitated, shuddering slightly as she recalled the grim scene. "If what I found was anything to go by, dark mages had something to do with it, yes."

The healer gave a sigh, a world-weary expression crossing his features. "It wouldn't be the first time Nohrian dark mages abused neutral soil. Let's just hope it wasn't a ritual used to create Faceless. The world has enough violence in it already."

Silently, Anna agreed. Even if war created business opportunity, the cost of it was...well, war. "But wait, what made you think of dark magic being the culprit, instead of something like bandits?"

"Somehow I doubt you could hold off an attack like that on your own." Anna winced at it, even though it was probably true. Akio seemed to hesitate. "The man practically reeked of dark magic. I can't say for certain if it's because something was inflicted upon him, if he is a dark mage himself or something else. I don't have enough of any experience with that field of magic to say anything for sure, really."

A long moment of silence followed, before Akio stood up. "Enough grim talk. There is a festival going on: I for one wish to enjoy what little of it I will be able to. And by that, I mean sleep. No doubt I'll be called upon more than once before long, and I'm sure you have a business to run."

He was right of course. "Before I go, I'd like to see him."

"Sure, go ahead."

Anna stood and made her way to the door of the room, and gently opened it. However, when she looked inside, she stopped, confused. She turned back to Akio, who was outside the line of sight for the room. "I didn't go to the wrong room, did I?"

"No, that's the correct room. You helped carry him in last night, remember?"

Anna swung open the door, gesturing inside. "Then where is he?"

Inside the room, the pallet was empty.

The man was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Kaden enters the scene and Robin 'noped' out of the back-alley doc's place. Never trust those guys, even when they aren't main characters.


	4. The Search

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a longer one today. Thought I may as well put it all into one chapter, as opposed to splitting it in two. This length'll probably be the exception, not the norm. (Note from future me: future chapters stay around 4,000-6,000 words as opposed to this, which is nearly 8,000)

**Chapter 4 – The Search**

* * *

"So, where is he?"

"How should I know?"

"You live here!" Anna groaned in frustration, pinching the bridge of her nose, hoping in vain it would stave off her rising headache in her sleep-deprived state. There had to be some sort of clue. She turned to Akio. "Is there some way he could have gotten out?"

"Well, it's unlikely for him to have slipped by while I was with the other patient without someone noticing. So it's possible…" Akio stepped over to the closed window shutters and examined them before making a small 'ah!' noise. He motioned Anna to come closer.

"These shutters can only be unlocked from the inside, and I'm positive I locked them last night."

"So he went out the window. So what? How does that help?" Akio looking sheepish was enough to answer her question. She sighed. Time to move on to something else. "How long ago did you last check on him?"

Akio paused, thinking. "I'd say about three hours ago or so."

Well, so much for tracking him down, as that amount of time could put him just about anywhere in the capital of Izumo, even if you took into account that he was recovering. There had to be something she was missing here.

However, she was wrong; even when she roped Akio into helping her search the room, nothing stood out. There was no physical evidence to point where he had gone. Maybe all that was left to do was to be patient and see if he came back.

Wait a moment.  _Patient._ She hadn't paid it much attention before, but hadn't the former monk mentioned…? "Akio, you said there was another patient who you treated, right?"

He looked up from his half-hearted searching. "Correct. My last patient came in here and, due to the, ah,  _circumstances_ , I wasn't able to check on the escapee during that time."

The wheels started turning in her head. "You don't think it could have been a convenient distraction while other people from another group, or gang or whatever, came in and took him while you were working?"

Akio frowned. "Well I suppose it's possible, I guess, but isn't that a bit-"

"Do you know anything about them?" She interrupted. Akio looked uncomfortable when she asked the question. "Look I don't care if you're supposed to be all hush-hush on this. It happened on your watch. So if you know something, tell me."

"I won't break confidentiality. It would go against one of the reasons I started this business in the first place. However, I will say that nothing that I know about the people that came in points to them kidnapping. They weren't part of the vigilantes going around lately either."

Their eyes met and Anna stared hard. There was a long moment of silence between the two before Anna reluctantly backed down.

She sighed. So much for that. "Kidnapped or not, he could be just about anywhere in the city at this point."

A short silence followed before Akio broke it. "Actually, I'm not so sure."

She glanced toward him, surprised. "What do you mean? Both of us know pretty much nothing about this guy. You said earlier that he 'reeked of dark magic.' But what does that mean? Maybe he was, I don't know, running from a dark mage group that caught up to him shortly before I found that caravan. It could be a dozen other things. I don't even know his name."

"No, but from what you told me he does know  _your_ name. It's a bit of a long shot, but it's possible he went looking for Anna."

"Except that I'm right her-"

He cut her off. " _An_  Anna, not necessarily you specifically."

"Oh."  _An Anna_. That hit her harder than she thought it might. She closed her eyes and let out a calming breath, even though internally she growled. She and her sisters weren't some sort of mercantile species. They were unique people. However, the more logical side of herself acknowledged that the idea was sound.

She looked back at him. "Well, two of my sisters currently run shops here in Izumo's capital."

"Should you want to pursue this, then that's really the only solid lead you have besides simply hoping he comes back. As you said, we know little about what is really happening. Personally, I recommend letting this lie. You did your part and helped to save a life."

It was better than trying to chase kidnappers who might not exist. "I'm going to look for him. You stay here and hold down the fort, just in case." Akio made a grunt of acknowledgment as Anna left his house.

As the door closed behind her, she stopped and leaned back against the frame. Why was she so intent on chasing this guy? Was it purely to satiate her curiosity? Something else? As she began the walk towards one of her sister's shops, the answer wouldn't come.

* * *

Munching on a skewer of dango, Kaden hummed contentedly to himself, sitting on a bench nearby the stall he'd purchased it from. Whoever thought up of these was a genius.

He was far away from the scene of his earlier escapade, even though no one would be looking for a kitsune. He noted that even here in less busy parts of the city, the Festival of Spring had its claws sunk into it. There were stalls nearly everywhere that had popped up in the preceding week, just like the dango stall he sat by.

This area of the city he was in was relatively peaceful compared to the marketplace, but still held a plethora of people and smells. If Kaden were a lesser kitsune, he would have probably run and hidden away by now.

He went to take another bite out of one of the sweet dumplings when the relative peace was shattered. Across the street from him, a human-like shape came flying out of the door of a bar and tumbled to a stop in the middle of the street.

A small crowd of people, whom Kaden gathered were probably festival tourists, stopped and stared at the man. The locals simply ignored it and walked on. When Kaden peered closer, he could see features of white hair, and a tattered, weird looking black cloak.

He glanced across the street to the bar. There were a couple of jeering patrons shouting from one of the windows, but he couldn't make out what they were saying over the din of the street. A drunk who started a fight, maybe? Or, maybe it was a conflict of interests, if the way the man was dressed was any indication.

Kaden looked up and briefly met eyes with the bouncer who had tossed the man out. He recognized him as someone he'd recently done a favor for and gave a small wave. The bouncer simply rolled his eyes and slipped back inside the establishment.

Turning his attention back to the man, he noticed the small crowd that had gathered dispersed, probably after it seemed nothing else interesting was going to happen. To his credit, the man simply stood up and brushed off his cloak before he began walking off in a decidedly steady way. Probably not drunk then, though maybe slightly injured, if the almost imperceptible limp in his gait was any indication.

Well, whatever the case was, in Kaden's opinion it had spoiled the peace of the area. Sighing, he stood, ready to take his snack towards a quieter place.

He stopped when the scent of alcohol, mixed in with the scents of the city and something he couldn't recognize, caught his nose. The latter made his fur prickle slightly.

Curious, Kaden turned and noticed four men in Hoshidan attire had broken off from the milling crowds to follow behind the man.

Interesting.

He began discreetly following them, taking the rest of his snack with him.

Closing in towards the four as they made their way down the street, Kaden could tell that even from this distance all of them were carrying drinks and - his nose twitched in disgust - they  _reeked_ of alcohol. They weren't being discreet about following the man. Hoshidans, tourists or otherwise, with an unhealthy vendetta against Nohrians he guessed _._

Strangely, the man didn't seem to notice, or maybe didn't care, that he was being followed and continued down the street as if nothing was happening.

Kaden had one dumpling left on his skewer when the drunks made a move. The white-haired man turned down an empty alleyway and the four drunks followed.

Leaning casually on a nearby stall that offered a good vantage, Kaden spotted them gathered around the white-haired man. One of the drunks shoved the man, enough for him to stumble, though he was still standing, while the other three in the group laughed and jeered. Seriously, harassment in broad daylight? He glanced around. No one who passed by was paying them any mind, and ignored the scene, content to walk past and not get involved. From what he could see, there were no guards nearby.

He stepped closer to the group, still out of range of any attack. It seemed the situation was escalating, though it hadn't yet descended into full-on violence. One drunk human grabbed onto the guy's cloak and yelled, "Why don't you say something, Nohrian scum?" Despite his situation, the man on the receiving end of it didn't look afraid. Actually, now that Kaden could see his eyes, they looked confused and maybe a little…bored?

Interest peaked even more, Kaden stepped up behind the group, hoping, though not with much confidence, that this could be solved peacefully.

"You know," he called, and the group of drunkards immediately turned towards him, "There's a whole festival out there to enjoy, right?" He munched on the last dumpling and started talking around the mouthful. "Why don't you leave this guy alone and enjoy it?"

The drunk human who answered probably thought he had some personal stake in the issue and wasn't having any of it. "You have a death wish, kitsune? Get lost! This is none of your business," he snarled.

And then he spat at Kaden.

To Kaden, the world slowed down as he watched the spittle fly. With growing horror, he could only watch as it landed on his clothes.

Kaden's left eye twitched.

He swallowed the last of the dumpling and tossed away the skewer. He grinned and looked at the white-haired man. "On second thought, four on one seems kind of unfair, don't you think?"

Three of the drunkards laughed, though one startled at the sudden change in demeanor.

The man, whose cloak was still in the grip of one of the men locked eyes with him, raised an eyebrow, and subtly shrugged, as if to say,  _if you want to._  Kaden liked this guy already.

The drunk human who had spat at him roared, "Don't say I didn't warn ya!" before he charged straight at Kaden. Kaden easily dodged around the clumsy punch thrown at him before he wheeled behind the human and threw a roundhouse kick at the back of his head. The drunk cried out and turned back towards Kaden, clutching his head in pain. Or, more accurately, he tried to turn, before he tripped and fell smack on his forehead. He didn't get up.

The jeering and laughter was silenced as Kaden turned back towards them, smirking. Before one of them could make a move, the cloaked man kneed the human still holding him in the groin. When he seized up in pain, the man grabbed the drunk's arm, stepped forward, pivoted, and threw him on the ground, knocking the wind out of him. He stayed on the ground, groaning.

The last two humans, who had been mostly hanging back and watching the ordeal, looked between the kitsune and the cloaked man, then between themselves, before hightailing it out of the alley, drinks forgotten.

Kaden took out a clean cloth out of a pocket and carefully wiped his clothes where the spittle had landed. After dropping it on the unconscious man below him, he walked up to the white-haired man, who was rolling his shoulder.

"You're not half bad," Kaden commented. "Where'd you learn that?"

The man turned to him. "I've had a lot of experience fighting."

 _Fighting drunks?_ His tone was confident and his stance sure-footed, so he probably wasn't just boasting. Kaden looked down at the man on the ground groaning in pain. "I can tell. We should probably get out of here before those other guys decide to complain to the city guard."

"They could try."

"Even so, let's just get out of here for now; we've drawn a small crowd." Sure enough, there were a few onlookers at the entrance of the alleyway, though they quickly dispersed. Kaden clapped a hand on the man's shoulder to lead him away through the crowd. He noted that the cloak was surprisingly clean despite how tattered it looked. Secretly, he approved.

The man brushed Kaden's hand off his cloak as they began walking. "So who are you, and why were you following me?"

He'd noticed? Best to just be forward, then. "Name's Kaden: kitsune and wanderer extraordinaire." He outstretched his hand in a traditional Nohrian handshake. "You?"

"Robin." The man didn't bat an eye as he accepted the grip and they briefly shook hands, and Kaden noticed that he had a strong grip. Nohrian, huh? Or at least from one of Nohr's territories, given the name. Interestingly he hadn't asked about the kitsune part. Plus one more for Robin in his book.

They broke the handshake. "You didn't answer my other question."

Oh, right. "You looked interesting. I was having a snack when I saw you get thrown out of the bar. Not exactly something I see every day."

Robin sighed looking uncomfortable, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck. "You saw that?"

"Yeah. What hap-?"

"I'd rather not talk about it if it's all the same to you. The less said about it the better," Robin cut him off quickly. Kaden noted to ask him about it later if he got the chance. Probably best not to antagonize someone he just met. "Why did you help me out, anyways?"

"It would've been a shame if someone was beaten up just because of what they looked like." He'd had plenty of that in his own life to testify. "Although, from what I saw, it didn't really seem like you really wanted help."

"You don't say." He deadpanned. "It was obvious from how they moved and acted that they had no real fighting experience. Four drunks with no fighting experience and no weapons are hardly a threat. I baited them into the alley so I could call it self-defense."

Kaden's eyebrows shot up. "Someone has a high opinion of their abilities."

"Not without good reason." The man looked thoughtful. "By the way, Kaden, I'm looking for a woman named Anna. Red hair, probably owns a shop selling exotic goods, weapons and the like. Maybe slightly obsessed with gold? Have you heard of her?"

Something about it did sound familiar, but he couldn't place it. "I may have I've heard of her, but I don't know where she is, assuming she even has a storefront. However, I know someone who probably does."

Robin looked surprised, before he grinned. "Huh. You're the first person who's given me a straight answer all day."

"It is a big city, so it shouldn't be that surprising." It also wouldn't be surprising if several people wouldn't give him the time of day because he was Nohrian, but Kaden thought it unnecessary to point that out.

"If you say so. Think you could lead me to this person?"

Kaden nodded. "Sure." He leaned in closer. "But first, what say we get something to drink?"

"I'd rather keep my mind sharp, thanks."

Kaden backed off waving his hands in a placating manner. "No, no, not alcohol; just some tea. There's a great tea shop that happens to be where who we're going to see works. It won't take much time."

Robin looked closely at him, before he shrugged, and gestured ahead of him. "Alright. Lead the way."

* * *

Anna sighed, looking at the distinctive, familiar logo on the shop's sign. It was the same one which she used, after all. She needed advice, and loath though she was to admit it, her sisters were her only real friends. Did siblings count as friends? Whatever. It was a good thing it was Anna and Anna were in Izumo. Better them than  _Anna_  any day.

She walked into the store, and called out. "Hey, Anna."

Her sister spun around to face her behind the store's counter, a confused look on her face. "Anna? I thought you wouldn't be getting into Izumo until later."

"I arrived here ahead of schedule last night." Anna stepped further into the shop and glanced around. There was only one customer here at the moment, and he did a double take, looking between the two sisters, rubbing his eyes. Unfortunately, it wasn't the man she was looking for. That would be too easy. "That's part of the reason I'm here." She shot a meaningful glance at the confused customer.

Anna immediately caught what she meant, shooed the confused customer out of the store, flipped the sign to  _closed_  and latched the door.

"What's this about? You look tired. Did you lose your goods to bandits or something?"

"No, don't worry, that's not it." She steeled herself. "I need your help."

* * *

The afternoon sun shone above as the tea server bowed politely to them. Kaden returned it before briefly meeting her eyes and mouthed something. She nodded and seemed to get the message.

Kaden turned his attention to his drink, carefully spooning sugar into the tea. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Robin looking at him, curiosity plain on his face.

"So what exactly is a kitsune?"

Not the question he was expecting, but that was fine. Kaden added a tiny bit more sugar before he began stirring. "You're looking at one."

"No, I mean I get that, but is it like the taguel?"

"Taguel?" Was that some sort of Nohrian colloquialism for the Wolfskin?

Robin seemed to notice his confusion and moved to clarify. "Sorry, what I meant to ask is if you can transform into a beast-like state with the help of a beaststone?"

Kaden looked up in surprise. Odd. Hardly anyone knew that. Though, he supposed it wasn't as if it was a forbidden secret or anything, just not common knowledge. May as well be honest if he already knew that much. "Yeah that's right." He grinned and raised an eyebrow. "Jealous?"

"It wouldn't matter if I was. But is that why we've been getting odd looks from so many people?"

Kaden paused, about to take a sip of his sugary tea, and subtly glanced about. Sure enough, there were several people staring at them with uneasy expressions in the open-air portion of the teashop. Some were less obvious about than others were, and one patron hastily looked away when he noticed Kaden had seen him staring.

Kaden sighed. "Kitsune are a pretty isolated bunch, and never go outside their territory. Humans never see them, especially not in cities."

"You're here," Robin pointed out, taking a drink from his own cup, which Kaden briefly noted was devoid of sugar. It probably tasted disgusting.

"I'm the exception, but that's beside the point." He didn't really want to go into what he thought on the subject. "Aside from my fabulous self, there's you. You're Nohrian, famous on this side of the border for being - and I'm abridging this for your sake since it goes on for a while - 'warmongering pieces of pegasus dung.' It's not exactly uncommon to see Nohrians in Izumo, but the hatred persists." Kaden chuckled. "Seeing the two of us together must be all kinds of weird for them."

"Maybe. Only problem is, I'm not from Nohr. In fact, before I came here I've never heard the word before."

"Seriously?" Robin nodded and Kaden looked into his eyes a moment. It didn't  _seem_  like he was lying. Still…

"Could've fooled me! You sure dress like one." Kaden folded his arms, one hand poised on his chin as he leaned closer to examine the man's attire which he had assumed was Nohrian in make. Actually, were those eyes stitched onto the sleeves? Weird. "However, even if you aren't Nohrian, your clothes closely match their style, so it's not exactly surprising that people are wary."

Robin let out "hmm," and looked lost in thought for a moment, before refocusing his attention on Kaden. "I think I can see where this is going, but what did Nohr do to warrant that much immediate suspicion?"

"Wow, were you isolated growing up or something?"

Kaden noticed something flicker across the man's eyes as he said, "Close enough." It was as close to an,  _I don't want to talk about it,_  look as anything he had seen.

Kaden took another sip of his sugary tea, thinking about how best to go about this. "So basically, there are two major kingdoms, Nohr and Hoshido, separated by the geography of a huge canyon everyone calls the Bottomless Canyon. And before you ask, yes, it really is big. Trust me, I've seen it."

"So on the west side there's Nohr." Kaden continued, "Nohr has lots of land, but tons of it isn't farmable and instead they focus a bunch on industry and expansion to sustain themselves. Expand or die. Hoshido's on the east, and their land is almost the exact opposite. Ages ago, Nohr tried to conquer parts of Hoshido for that land, and they've been in on again off again war with each other ever since."

As he was talking, Kaden saw Robin looking at him with interest. Was he really that interested in history? "So the people here are afraid of the war Nohr brings, not necessarily Nohrians themselves?" he asked.

"I guess, but that's only part of the picture. I've been to both places, and Hoshido isn't exactly innocent in this either. They have a bunch of surplus food in storage, but from what I've heard, generally refuse to trade. They have prosperity, but it's like all of it is for their own self-sufficiency, and they seem content to sit on that. It doesn't help that in the past, their leaders have been slow to react to change."

Robin put a hand on his chin. "So has no one ever tried to set up trade between the two nations? It could easily solve part of the issue."

Kaden let out a short laugh. "Well about that. See, you aren't the only one to have that idea. Thirteen years ago Nohr's current king, Garon, set up talks with the former king of Hoshido, Sumeragi, for just that. However, the peace talk was a trap. Garon killed Sumeragi, and kidnapped the one of Hoshido's princesses in the confusion as well." He paused, and then muttered, "What was her name?"

"So because Nohr's king committed the crime, all Nohrians are profiled for it? Sounds familiar."

"Wait, I thought you said you didn't know this?"

Robin shook his head. "I don't. Keep going."

"If you say so. Anyways, the kidnapping wasn't the end of it. The widowed Queen of Hoshido, Mikoto, sent out rescue parties for her daughter, but failed. Eventually, in retaliation, she kidnapped one of King Garon's daughters. Let's just say most Nohrians weren't happy about it. The war resumed in full force, but after ten years of conflict, Queen Mikoto set up some weird magical barrier that somehow keeps the Nohrian army out of Hoshidan territory."

That seemed to really perk Robin's interest. "Wait, how would something like that even work? You said it covers all of Hoshidan territory?" Kaden nodded. "Something on that large a scale would require a massive amount of magic to set up and keep going. And you said it's been up for three years?"

"Around three years, yes. And before you try to pry any more details out of me, no, I have no idea how it works." Robin's enthusiasm seemed to deflate some. "It seems to do its job for the most part as Nohr hasn't been able to do anything to Hoshido besides sending weird creatures to fight in their place."

Robin frowned. "Weird creatures?'

"They're called Faceless. Big, hulking Nohrian dark magic constructs that can bypass the barrier somehow. Nasty, things." He shuddered. "Not something I ever want to run into again."

Robin's frowned deepened. "I see. It seems to me that the barrier is only prolonging the inevitable. Magical or not, walls can always be torn down." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "So what about Izumo, then?"

"Well, thanks to the Archduke, Izumo's neutral. However, because of its relative geography, it's generally Hoshidans who live and trade here, or those willing to trade, anyhow. Obviously, there are exceptions, but most of the people this side of the Bottomless Canyon don't have good memories associated with Nohr; hence, your problem of people being suspicious of you because of what you look like."

"Makes sense. How about you then? What do you think of all of this?" Robin asked.

"Me? Well, I think it's all been perpetrated by people in power that are too prideful for their own good. I don't really care where you come from. Nohr, Hoshido, wherever. As long as you're a decent human and you don't want to kill me for my fur, you're good in my book."

There was something running through Robin's eyes, as if he was deliberating something. "There's nothing else, right? No other kingdoms or countries involved?"

Kaden narrowed his eyes. That was an oddly specific question. "Unless you count the outlying tribes and such, no that's it. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious." The contemplative look on his face said otherwise, and Kaden felt like he was missing something. However, it was probably none of his business.

Robin shook his head. "We're getting off topic. You said earlier you had a contact here that knew where Anna could be, right?"

"Oh yeah. Although I wouldn't exactly call her a contact; just someone who knows a lot of people." And an informant for the vigilante group he had gotten tied up in. She knew Izmuo far better than anyone he knew. Kaden called over the tea server in question and the woman responded. "It's great tea as always, Sachiko."

Sachiko made another small, polite bow. "Thank you, Kaden. You've been coming here a lot lately, but this is the first time you've brought a friend with you." She paused, almost imperceptively, at the word 'friend,' though Kaden caught it. Sachiko probably didn't mean anything by it, but he knew she, like many, had bad memories of Nohr. To his credit, Robin just nodded slightly and gave a small wave.

Kaden continued. "Yeah, he's new in town, so I'm helping him out a little bit. Anyways Sachiko, you wouldn't happen to know if there's a shop or stall run by a woman named Anna do you? Red hair, maybe sells some exotic goods?"

"Hmm." Sachiko looked thoughtful for a moment, before her eyes lit up. "That's probably one of the merchant sister's shops? I heard one of the regulars here going on about it a while ago."

More likely Sachiko knew it because of what it sold, and how it could be useful to the group, but that was beside the point, since it worked out in his favor.

"Great! Where is it?"

"It's fairly close to here. If you head south from here when you exit the shop and turn left before you reach the castle, head down the street and you can't miss it."

"Thanks as always, Sachiko." She bowed again, and Kaden returned it before paying for the tea and leaving with Robin in tow.

They had just stepped down back into the street when Kaden caught another whiff of the unknown scent from earlier. He froze and looked around carefully this time, but saw nothing that seemed out of the ordinary. Was he going mad from the city air?

"Something wrong?"

Kaden startled before he realized it was just Robin, and starting moving again when he realized he had stopped in the middle of the busy street.

"Probably not. C'mon." Robin gave him a careful stare before nodding. As they walked, Kaden glanced around again. Whatever it was, the scent was already gone.

* * *

Her sister hadn't seen him. Still, Anna figured that she would feel better after laying everything out in front of her sister, someone who she could trust implicitly. She was right.

However, her sister wasn't impressed.

"So let me get this straight: you want my network of people to go out of their way to look for a guy you just met, who, for all you know could be some sort of psychopath killer, because, what? You're curious?"

Anna squirmed under her older sister's gaze. "Well, when you put it that way…"

Her sister sighed. "Look Anna, even if I said yes, my network's good, it's not  _that_ good. It would take time and luck to find him, assuming this guy's even still in Izumo at all. Why do you care so much about this, anyways?"

Anna sat silently, unable to answer. Her sister stared at her a moment before a predatory grin spread across her face. "Waait, do you love him? Has my sister been hit with the sickness of love?"

Anna blanched. "What? No!"

Her sister leaned forward, clearly ignoring her and pressed on. "So what's Mr. Mysterious' name?

"I already told you: I don't know. What does this have to do with-?"

Her sister clapped her hands together, cutting her off. "Oh, love at first sight, then." She proceeded into a theatrical swoon, dramatically throwing an arm on her head and leaning back." To be young."

_Oh, for the love of-_

"Like I told you, I found him half-dead, Anna! I just have this gut feeling that I shouldn't leave this alone. That's it."

Her sister came out of the swoon and studied her carefully. "Wow, you've got it bad."

"Anna!"

Her sister snorted, and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "Spoilsport." Her expression swung back to something businesslike. "Yeah, fine, if you really are setting your mind to do this, I can put word out for people to look for him. I'll let you know if they find anything. Consider it repaying that time when you gave me that premium medicine stock for cheap."

That was probably as much as she could hope for. "Thanks, Anna."

Her older sister rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, no problem, Anna. Now get going. Just because you got to the city early doesn't mean you can slack off. You have nearly a festival weeks' worth of profit you can make, so don't mess up! We can't have you go and make the Anna name look bad."

"Of course." The two hugged briefly. After parting, her sister unlocked the shop door. Anna was just about to leave before she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She turned back, to find a very serious look on her sister's face. "Look, whatever happens, just, don't get involved in anything you can't handle, alright?"

"Don't worry, I won't." Anna flipped the sign over to  _open_  and walked out. Her sister's antics aside, she was right. For now, she should focus on setting up shop for the festival.

* * *

"Thank you!" Kaden called as he and Robin exited the store.

"Buy something next time, you cheapskates!" Anna shouted back at the retreating duo and slammed the door shut.

Kaden blinked at the rush of air that followed. "Well, that was awkward." He turned to Robin as both of them began walking down the steps. "You sure that wasn't who you were looking for, Robin? She matched your description perfectly, name and all."

Robin shook his head. "That wasn't Anna."

Kaden glanced back towards shop where the red-haired merchant woman, named Anna, whose shop had been full of clearly exotic goods, and had just thrown them out.

"You sure?"

"Positive. But it wasn't entirely a waste. Remember before she realized we weren't buying anything? While she was making small talk, she mentioned that one of her sisters was probably going to arrive in town today? That could be her."

"Wait, hold on. Anna has a sister…named Anna?"

"Several of them, actually."

"You're kidding me, right?"

"Do I look like I'm one to joke around?" He was right: Robin's face didn't have an inch of humor on it. "Besides, it's less confusing than it sounds."

Kaden entirely disagreed, but decided that the point wasn't worth arguing.

"So where do we look then? She could be anywhere; maybe not even in the city."

"Possibly. However, from what various people mentioned – or, those that would talk to me at least – that this week is Izumo's Festival of Spring, right?" Kaden nodded to confirm it. "Then it would make sense for a travelling merchant with credentials like hers to set up shop to sell her goods during a time like this."

Kaden didn't like where this was going. "We're going to the marketplace, aren't we?"

Robin looked confused. "Why so glum? Don't like the attention you'd get because we stand out so much?"

"Nah, I don't mind the stares, but the kids tend to get grabby with the fur." That, and he had just participated in an heist gone wrong in that same marketplace just this morning. Awkward would be a huge understatement of how he felt.

If Robin caught the half-truth, he didn't acknowledge it. "We could easily hold them off."

"Yeah, no thanks. Let's just go."

* * *

After returning once more to Akio both to check to make sure the man hadn't wandered back, Anna found herself running through a familiar rhythm under the evening sun. Directing one of the hired movers to unload her cart, Anna busied herself with readying her stall for the remainder of the Festival of Spring. The familiarity of the act was calming. She was thankful her stall, while still in the main market, was set up far away from the chaos of whatever had happened this morning.

In the end, there wasn't much she could do but return to her normal routine. All she could do was to trust that if the man was still in the city, her sister would be able to find him. And, if she couldn't, then maybe it didn't matter if she never found out who the man she had helped was. Maybe, like Akio had told her, it was enough that she had just helped someone in need.

She nearly jumped when she felt someone tap her shoulder. Anna turned around, expecting one of the movers to ask her a question. "Yes, what is-?"

The words died and she froze. Standing in front of her was the missing white-haired man, tattered black cloak and all.

A jolt of fear ran through her. What was going to happen now? She hadn't that thought that something like this was going to happen - she wasn't mentally prepared to face whatever this guy was! However, she could at least assume he had been the one to tap her shoulder since he was looking closely at her, before turning to the kitsune ( _kitsune?)_ standing next to him and nodding his head. He looked back, and Anna realized her mouth was still open, and she quickly corrected that.

"Sorry to bother you, but you're Anna, right?

She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. That was it? A tense silence followed, and Anna narrowed her eyes and began glaring at the man standing across from her.

The kitsune looked decidedly uncomfortable. "Um, should I go, or…"

She broke out of the stare, and sighed, exasperated. "You're kidding, right? I spend more than half of a good business day looking for a man I don't even know the name of, and he just happens to walk up to me?" Her hand met her forehead before she dragged it downward. She was too tired for this.

The man spoke again. "You were the one who saved me?" Anna nodded, and she saw something unreadable pass through his face, and his eyes shifted away. "I see." There was something in his tone of voice. Disappointment, or something else?

He looked back at her. "Then, I came here to thank you, Anna."

It was a strange, roundabout way of saying thank you. However, it was the way he said 'Anna' that tipped her off. She was right. He had thought it was one of her sisters that had saved him, probably one he knew.

Her voice softened. "You're welcome." She turned away from the man. "But please, tell me something."

"What is it?"

She wheeled back around. "You disappear out of a healer's house and it takes you more than half a day to get to a place that takes less than half an hour to walk to?!"

To her surprise, the man barely even flinched, though the kitsune jolted before he backed away to put a stack of crates in-between them.

"Actually, I went to get my cloak clean. It took a while, and after that…" The man shot a glance at the wary-looking kitsune. "I was…distracted."

"You escaped out the window because you wanted to do  _laundry_." The man nodded and she groaned in frustration. Her sister was going to laugh so hard when she heard this. "Unbelievable. So why did you not tell Akio where you were going?"

"Huh? Who's Akio?"

"The healer in whose house you woke up in."

Confusion crossed his face. "Wait, that was a healer's house?"

"Why would you assume any differently?"

"Well for one, there wasn't anyone in the room I woke up in. The door was locked and no one answered when I called out. I wasn't going to take any chances, especially when one of the last things I clearly remembered was nearly dying. So, I escaped through the window, and when I realized no one was chasing me, I went to find you."

That shut her up quickly. But it also confused her more, and Anna felt like she was missing something important. "So then, are you on the run? Were you hiding in plain sight among that caravan I found you with?"

"Caravan? What are you talking about?"

"It's where I found you yesterday evening. Everyone except you was dead. Ring any bells?"

The man paused, bringing a hand to his chin. "Nothing, no."

So he wasn't part of it? He could be lying, but there wouldn't really be much to gain from it. Everything just brought up more questions, and Anna could feel her headache coming back. "Alright, look. I don't really get what's going on here, but a crowded marketplace really isn't the place for something like this, right?" She didn't wait for him to answer. "Let's start over. What's your name? It's only fair seeing as you already know mine." Even if it was by proxy via one of her sisters.

"Robin."

There was a long moment of silence between them and Anna noticed that the kitsune slowly inched out from his hiding spot, looking towards Robin. "She's not planning on attacking us, right?"

She glanced toward the kitsune, whose ears had been flattened against his head, then back at Robin. "Who's he?"

"That's Kaden. He helped me find you."

"Hey again." The kitsune gave a cheery grin and a wave. Dimly, she recognized the gesture, and remembered him as the kitsune she had seen in the park. Huh.

"Great. Sure, whatever." Maybe she should've been nicer, but at the moment she didn't care. She focused back on Robin. "So seeing as I saved your life and all, used an expensive medicine to save you along with paying your healing bill, I'd say that means you owe a pretty big debt to me."

"I don't have any money."

"Huh?"

"You were going to ask for gold, right? I have none." He didn't look like he was kidding.

She recovered quickly. "I wasn't going to ask for that."

Lies. The importance of gold had been drilled into her by her sisters at an early age, so that was always her first instinct. "Besides, only fools ask for a simple monetary reward. What I need from you is a favor."

She caught Robin rolling his eyes as he crossed his arms. "Past experience with your sisters says that it would be better for my health if I say yes." Silently, she cheered on whichever of her sisters was unintentionally helping her, and couldn't help but grin.

"Correct!" But what should she make him do?

Her eyes flicked over to the movers, who were nearly done putting all of her crates into the sizable storage tent behind her stall. An idea flicked through her head. It would be a great excuse to get to the bottom of this mystery, despite that it could be dangerous.

At the same time, free help was free help.

"To pay me back, you're going to work for me during the remainder of the Festival of Spring."

* * *

The sun was setting over the busy city of Izumo. Too busy for Leo's liking. The second Prince of Nohr enjoyed the quiet, brooding halls of Castle Krakenburg far more, since, as long as one knew where to go, you could enjoy a relative peace. Such peace would likely be unobtainable here, given his situation.

Currently, he was riding on horseback into the city in the midst of a full troop of Nohrian soldiers. It was a grandiose display of the military might of Nohr that his father, King Garon, had insisted upon. Leo had felt it was completely unnecessary, and given Izumo's neutrality, would send the wrong idea. Yet, he had no choice but to accept the situation.

Around him, he could practically feel the hostility of some of the townspeople as his group continued, even though none dared say anything. Some faces were smiling, but he could tell many were fake. He doubted that any of these deep-seated grudges towards Nohr would lessen just because he had the invitation of the Archduke himself.

He glanced at the saddlebag containing the invitation. Even after the entirety of the trip here, he still couldn't fathom why the invitation had specified him and his retainers specifically. It felt too obvious to be a trap, but he wouldn't let his guard down regardless.

Far ahead, Leo could see the castle in the center of the city looming closer. At its base he could just make out a regal-looking figure in neutral-hued colors the center of what seemed to be some sort of welcoming committee out in front of it. Leo cocked an eyebrow. So the Archduke was so sure of his safety that he would openly greet an envoy of a known hostile country? He wasn't sure whether to be impressed or wholly disappointed.

Leo's attention was brought back to his group when he heard his resident retainer and eccentric dark mage.

"The city which never sleeps is ill prepared for the arrival of its new shadowy protector. Hear me, calignosity of Izumo, and tremble. For I, Odin Dark, have arri-!"

"Odin." It wasn't his voice which had interrupted Odin. Unsurprisingly, it seemed his other retainer, Niles, was of the same mind on this matter.

Odin, still in mid gesture, turned to Niles, annoyance plain on his face. "What?"

Leo saw Niles scowl. "Just shut up for now."

Odin's hand dropped. "But I barely started! I haven't even gotten to the best part!"

"The best part of your spiels are when they end." He let out a sigh. "Look, I can tell you were prepping that one the entire way here, but for once, have some dignity, at least while we're surrounded by people who hate our nation's guts."

Leo put up with Odin's antics because of his results and loyalty. Even when he was being theatrical, he was scarily competent, especially in combat. However, this was neither the time, nor place.

"Niles is right. Control your impulses, at the very least until after we're done meeting with the Archduke."

Odin looked like he was about to retort, before he slumped and grumbled. "Fiiine."

Leo nodded in satisfaction and turned his attention back to the castle where the Archduke waited. The sooner they finished this, the better.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something I wanted to emphasize that this I hope this chapter exemplifies: this story is written in third person limited format. In each point of view, you only see what that character sees. The thoughts and assumptions they make are not always true or reliable, merely what they think at the current time based on their own personal experiences.
> 
> Also, don’t worry about this dissolving into politics. Interesting as that could be, this is Izana we’re talking about.


	5. Research and Reconnaissance

**Chapter 5 – Research and Reconnaissance**

* * *

The shutters of the Izumite castle window shook slightly in the light wind, open to let the crisp air in, yet it also brought up with it the sounds and smells of a bustling city beginning another festival day. All this as the morning sun rolled in over the room, filtered through the blossoms of the large trees surrounding the castle, casting its light on a made-up empty bed.

To the side, and still untouched by the sunlight, Leo sat at a desk not his own, thumbing through a book simply titled 'Divining' more to occupy his fingers at this point than anything else. His thoughts swirled around in an array of useless information, mixed with the permeating feeling that he was missing something important _._

To cap it all off, the atmosphere of the Festival leaking in through the window was so annoyingly…  _pleasant_.

Leo's thoughts were interrupted as a familiar complicated knock sounded on the door to his guest room. He snapped the book he wasn't really reading closed and turned in his chair before he called:

"Enter."

The door opened and Leo spotted a barely noticeable grimace on Odin's face as he shut the door behind him and leaned against it, eyes roving the room a moment before settling back onto Leo as he made his way over before him into a kneel.

"Lord Leo."

"What is it, Odin?"

Odin looked up. "I received a report from Niles; another large group is arriving through the front city gate."

In and of itself this was nothing special, as sizable groups of people, mostly those arriving to enjoy the festival, had been arriving throughout the week. There was obviously more and Odin was drawing out the moment needlessly, a quirk Leo had learned to work with.

"And?"

A small smirk played out on Odin's face. "You need merely look out the window and see. They should be coming into view shortly."

Leo resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but complied anyways. Peering out into past the castle wall, it took him a moment before he found the group Odin was talking about and the insignia prominently displayed on a banner in the midst of them. His eyes narrowed.

"I see."

But did he really? Was this coincidence or some plan of his host?

When his entourage had first arrived, Leo had not thought much of Archduke Izana: they had only spoken briefly before Izana excused himself on some unknown business. He seemed calm, serene, with a soft-spoken authority typical of a leader of a peaceful nation. Leo had appreciated the hospitality, as the trip, while bearable on horseback, had still been long and he and his party had been in dire need of good sleep. The next morning, he'd sought an audience with the illustrious archduke.

But that's where he'd hit a brick wall.

Or more accurately, a guarded, ornate, wooden door and the entirety of the castle staff unanimously telling him one thing:

" _The archduke is communing with the gods. Leave him be."_

From what he'd remembered and more recently read, diviners were known in part for their...divining ability, something akin to a more accurate version of fortune telling. Whatever the reason, the archduke was of their ilk. At the time, Leo had left it be, and for the first time he could remember, enjoyed the novelty of a day of solace in enemy territory. Even if because of Nohr's hostile reputation he was confined as a guest to the castle.

Then three more days passed, the archduke was still in that room and on the next, penultimate day of the festival, Leo grew restless.

Nothing he had studied on divining gave any specifics about what the ritual, or whatever it was, was. When he asked around, everyone simply shook their heads, knowing looks passing between guard and servant alike, repeating the same thing:

" _The archduke is communing with the gods. Leave him be."_

He was loath to trust them, but in lieu of a clash of culture and beliefs he didn't fully understand, Leo had sent Niles to investigate, but the same phrase was reported back to him:

" _The archduke is communing with the gods. Leave him be."_

The waiting was slowly driving him insane. The archduke had invited him and Leo considered himself a patient man, but here he could personally do so little, hands tied by his position. Though a guest, he was confined to a small portion of the castle: a political prisoner in all but name.

Leo stopped, realizing in his contemplation he had unconsciously begun pacing, and brought his focus back to the present. The light from the window was nearly shown on the chair he previously occupied. Odin leaned against a nearby wall, jotting something down in a small journal; one Leo knew he kept with him at all times. The grimace he'd noticed earlier was back as well.

Upon noticing his gaze, Odin pocketed the book and straightened. "Orders?"

"Look into the reason for their visit, but be discreet about." He felt his face scrunch up, and felt his teeth clench. "No need to stir up a political hornet's nest by being caught." The last part came out more bitter than he'd meant it to.

Odin looked surprised. "Pardon me for asking, but don't you think that Niles would be better suited for this task, milord?"

"Perhaps." In truth, there was no question on that matter. "However, I've already given him another assignment, so it will fall to you to complete this." Additionally, he still didn't know if the Nohrian soldiers sent here with him by his father had another purpose. So at least for now, he would only trust those in his closest circle.

He paused, eying Odin's…flamboyant attire. "Just do it in plainclothes."

With a subtle nod of understanding between the two, Odin left, the door latching closed behind him. The sound was soft, yet seemed to echo throughout his head, a grim reminder of his current state confined to the castle.

He hesitated. Was this something of what his sister felt like, trapped unknowingly by politics in the Northern Fortress until his father deemed her ready to send to war?

Just waiting?

Leo rubbed his brow in frustration. No matter the reason for being here, having Hoshidan royalty in the capital would make everything more complicated.

* * *

It was, Niles decided, probably the best kept tavern in any slums of any city he had been in.

At the moment, it was occupied by only a few other chatting patrons besides his own table. There was a woman playing some traditional Izumite festival music on a small, upraised stage. The rest was populated by the tavern owner and a large man there to keep the peace. Despite its relative cleanliness and calm, it was still very much inside the slums of Izumo's capital city.

He chanced a glance out the open window from the table he was sat at and spied a few beggars pleading in passing for spare coin, dressed in attire shabby enough to draw pity from those unaware of the ruse. A passing noble, if their fancy dress was any indication, stopped to give some gold to one of the beggars, a child.

The noble probably felt so good about himself for that, maybe would even brag about it to his friends, then forget about it the next day. Niles scoffed. Didn't he realize that gold would just end up back with the crime lords that sent those children out? They'd be back tomorrow in that same position, taking advantage of the rest of the Festival of Spring, no better off than they were now.

"That bad of a hand, eh?"

Niles turned his attention back to card game he was playing with three other people at the table. He leaned back slightly in his chair, keeping the door to the tavern in his peripheral vision.

"As if I'd tell you."

The man sitting across from him probably didn't even notice the smirk that subtly played out on his face in response, or the tapping of his forefinger not holding his cards as soon as the hand had been dealt. All signs that told Niles the man thought he had a winning hand.

The older woman with sallow eyes and the young man with a leg injury at their table added coin to the meager pot in the middle of the table. Both were clearly bluffing about their hand. The young man was nervously bouncing his good leg, while the woman tried to look stoic, but was subtly rubbing her thumb and forefinger together.

Nervous tics, little details. They told Niles everything he needed to know.

However, whether it was the truth or not didn't matter. The game was a misdirection, a cover. If the lead was good, his true target would show up any minute now.

Niles shifted the cards in his hand around. The man across from him was right about one thing: his hand as it was dealt was crap, but had potential. He added gold and raised the bet. He wasn't here to win, and it wasn't his money anyways.

However, as the game went on for another round, and the morning crept along, Niles was beginning to worry that the lead may have been bad. It wouldn't be the first time, and considering the rising infamy of the group he was dealing with, he wouldn't be too surprised.

It was a pain, but considering he wouldn't be moving until Lord Leo had his talk with the Archduke, he probably still had time. Especially if he remained holed up like he was 'talking with the Gods' or whatever nonsense the castle was spouting.

The woman won the current round and Niles was about to make an excuse to go, when the door practically burst open. Everyone present turned their heads at the intrusion, and the hired muscle shifted to get ready in case things got out of hand. A quartet of people walked in, headed by an angry looking well-built man. He was followed by a woman approaching middle-age, and a scrawny man wearing spectacles.

However, it was the young woman who walked in last that got his attention. White hair, separated into two braids. Even the clothes she was wearing were spot on. She was younger than he expected, but it didn't matter.

Looked like the informant was good on her word. According to her, this was the leader of the vigilante band he was after.

Nina.

The leader of "Spectre."

Inwardly he chuckled. If Shura was here, he'd get a good laugh out of that stupid name.

Since the lead was good after all, Niles shifted in his seat to get comfortable. This is where things could get interesting.

The patrons settled down after the initial disturbance and the hired muscle settled back to a ready stance. The tavern owner greeted them amicably enough. Possibly he knew them already if his friendly demeanor was anything to go by.

Niles accepted another hand from the dealer as Spectre quickly settled into a table in a secluded corner with some drinks after coins changed hands, about as far away from his table as you could get. No windows nearby to listen from and the way the corner was laid out would cut off some the sound. The music that had resumed would dampen the rest. A good setup for anyone not wanting to be heard.

However, he had access to Odin's repertoire of sorcery. Weirdo though he was, he came up with useful enchantments.

Niles slipped a hand into his pocket, found the slip of parchment he wanted and sent a pulse of magic into it. The paper grew hot a moment while the inscriptions worked and Niles concentrated on the table where Spectre sat. His ears felt odd for a moment and he resisted the urge to disturb them before they popped. He no longer heard the idle chit-chat from the table where he was sitting.

"-old you it was a horrible idea to let Seto lead that heist. He's unstable." Probably the large man, given the deep baritone.

"He got the job done and the gold distributed didn't he?" A mellow voice, likely the middle-aged woman. "We have the whole city stirred up." She chuckled. "It's hilarious."

"It's dangerous, is what it is." The tenor was probably the spectacled young man. "The Izumite underworld might've been fooled into thinking it was some internal affair if he'd just let the guards take the Spirit Dust dealer to jail. They could bail him out easy enough. But killing him sent a message."

Niles heard the baritone scoff. "Yeah, a big flaming turd yelling 'we're in the capital right now; please track us down.'"

"Bree!"

"What? It's true, innit?"

The tenor again. "Be that as it may, we need to get rid of him as soon as possible. We aren't killers."

"Don't we need him for…?" The woman left off whatever it was. Frustrating.

Niles heard a fourth voice speak up and he was positive it was Nina. "Don't worry about it. I had a couple of other people in mind that would've covered just fine for it. However, Bree is right. With the underworld nipping at our heels and the recent arrival of Nohrian and Hoshidan retinues, the target's too hot. We need to pull back for now."

"But we're so close!" The woman again.

The young man spoke up. "Are you sure, Nina? You were pretty adamant about this before. We might not get another shot at this."

Out of the corner of his eye, Niles saw Nina cross her arms. "It won't matter if we get caught. We've pissed off enough nobles as it is. Plenty of them have enough resources to make us dead if they want, but they hold back because we're popular with the common folk."

The spectacle'd man spoke up. "It could incite riots with the right push."

"Wouldn't that be a good thing? We're doing this because their situation is unfair after all."

"Do you want to be a martyr, Teresa?" Bree asked.

"…No."

Nina cut back in. "Then we'll pull back south to Denore after the Fesitval of Spring is over. Slipping out unnoticed while everyone leaves will be easy."

There were sounds of agreements around the table, and the talk turned to lighter matters. After a few minutes, when it was clear that nothing else of importance was being discussed, Niles cut the magic flowing to the enchantment. Disoriented for a moment as his hearing returned to normal, he mulled over what he'd learned as he excused himself from the card game, left the tavern and began a meandering pace back to the castle.

Spectre wanted something in Izumo, but what was it? Nina had called it a 'target,' but that could refer to almost anything. Though, given what he'd heard of their exploits he would guess it was something worth a lot of gold. Something they could sell on the black market, and then be the goody two shoes that they were and give that to the poor.

But who were they stealing it from exactly? A noble? Possibly, though that didn't narrow it down much. Merchants would be on guard after their most recent heist, but it was a possibility.

Actually, hadn't they mentioned the arrival of the Nohrian and Hoshidan royalty as a reason their target was too hot? Why would that make a difference? Unless…

He grinned. Unless Spectre had been planning on stealing something from the castle itself. Now wasn't that bold? They would have been caught easily. But it didn't matter.

He knew they were headed to Denore, and that information alone would be enough to satisfy Lord Leo and give him an edge in any negotiations that could happen. Assuming the archduke ever came out.

He really needed to thank Odin more.

* * *

Nina smirked. "Heh. Gotcha."

The other members of Spectre at the table turned towards her, their conversation breaking off. Bree was the first one to talk, as usual.

"Huh? What are you talking about, Nina?"

"Did any of you see that dark skinned man with the white hair and an eyepatch playing cards when you came in?"

They all glanced at each other, confusion plain on their faces. Teresa shrugged. "I vaguely remember him. Why?"

Her smirk grew wider. They were going to be so  _pissed_  when she told them. "Few days ago, Sachiko started getting wind that one of the Nohrian royal retainers was sniffing around for us. We figured the best way to get rid of him was to give him what he wanted."

Their reaction was about what she expected. She rolled her eyes and shushed them before they raised too much of a ruckus.

"Sheesh, have a little faith in me guys. I gave him the info he wanted. I never said it was the truth."

Specs spoke up, confused. "But how would he have heard anything we said?"

Nina shrugged. "Don't know, don't care. All I know is that he looked far more satisfied than any person has any right to after losing money like he was. "

There was silence at the table before Bree broke it. "What does that mean for us?"

"Do I have to spell it out for you? Figure it out yourselves."

Teresa was about to let out a retort before Specs interrupted her. "We aren't going to Denore."

"Got it in one, Specs. The plan is still on." Nina leaned her chair back onto the wall and kicked her feet up to the table cross-legged.

Teresa, who was still mad, leaned forward. "Why didn't you tell us this? We could have let something slip!"

Nina waved a hand in Teresa's general direction. "Because you guys would've looked suspicious if you didn't. The best lies are rooted in truth, after all."

Bree shook his head. "That was unnecessarily reckless, Boss."

"You know it." She crossed her arms behind her head. "Enjoy this moment guys: it might our last bit of peace for a while. It's about to get really busy." Tomorrow night, they raided the archduke's study.

They wouldn't know what hit them.

* * *

"We're going to eat out for lunch today."

Robin and Kaden both stopped what they were doing. Kaden pumped a fist into the air and yelled, "Alright!" nearly dropping the crate he was carrying. "Where are we going?"

Anna just smiled. "You'll see." Honestly where they were going didn't matter as much as it would be an excuse to talk.

Robin turned around in his chair, propping his elbow on the chair's back. She noticed that he looked worn out, eyes slightly baggy. The quill he'd been using was still in hand as he tapped it against his chin. "So then, who's watching the front?"

Anna was about to answer before her one of her sisters practically barged into the storage tent behind the stall they all occupied. Her sister spoke up. "Don't worry about it. I've got you covered, Anna," and she bowed to the others in a flamboyant manner. "Anna at your service."

Anna shook her head. Trust her sister to be listening in, waiting for the perfect entrance. "Thanks for covering for me, Anna."

"Hey, it's no problem, Anna. Just know that you owe me one."

"Yeah, yeah."

Kaden looked incredulously between the two of them. "You're doing that on purpose, aren't you?"

Both she and her sister grinned mischievously at each other before both of them put on innocent expressions, scooted right next to each other, put their fingers to their chins, turned to Kaden and at the same time said innocently, "Doing what?"

She saw Kaden open his mouth, then closed it, before he sighed. "Never mind."

The sisters laughed as they separated. "Just finish up what you're doing, and we'll go."

As Robin turned back to the ledger and Kaden resumed stocking, her sister pulled her aside. "So, how are they doing? Are they more than you can handle?"

"No, they're fine. Better than I was expecting, I guess."

Her sister rolled her eyes. "You can give me a little more detail than  _that_ , especially on Mystery Man over there."

"His name is Robin."

"Ooh, first name basis," She leaned in closer. "Any other juicy details?"

"Anna!" The other two turned towards them, but she waved to signal that them it was none of their business and they both started back into finishing what they were doing.

Anna turned back to her sister, and crossed her arms. "When are you going to stop doing that with every guy I meet?"

"When you stop reacting like that whenever I bring it up."

"Ugh, you're insufferable."

Her sister was still smiling. "You know it!" Her expression shifted to something more serious. "But I was being serious about asking how your help is doing."

Anna glared a moment longer before she relented. "Both are good at different things. I tried putting both of them out to attract customers. Kaden - that's the kitsune - took to it like he'd been doing it since he was born. Robin, well…" The less she said about that incident, the better. To say it was a disaster was putting it lightly. "I quickly figured out he has a head for numbers, so I have him keeping inventory, ledgers and running errands when I need more stock and such."

"And you? You're not wearing yourself out over anything else, right?"

_The man practically reeked of dark magic._

She held back a flinch at the memory before answering. "No. Thanks to Robin, everything behind the scenes is running smoother than ever and Kaden being a kitsune attracts more business than the Anna brand alone ever would."

"Blasphemy!"

"Shut it, you."

Her sister chuckled. "I'm glad it's going well for you. Really." She glanced towards the entrance. "I should get back to the storefront. I'll leave you to your date."

Anna groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You're going to run that into the ground, aren't you."

"Absolutely." She made a mock two-finger salute, before she exited the storage area.

Anna turned around to find Kaden staring. "Is something wrong?"

He snapped out of a daze. "Oh, no, just thinking how nice it is that you have family to lean on. Wanderlust is great, but it gets lonely after a while."

Anna realized that with how busy they'd been, she'd never actually really taken the time to talk to the kitsune. She'd been surprised when he had volunteered to help Robin work off his debt. "Don't you have family?"

Kaden's ever present easy smile slipped a moment, before it came back. "Eh, maybe I'll tell you about it later."

The way he said it made Anna wince. Maybe it was a touchy subject? She let it lie with a nod of her head as Kaden stacked up the final crate.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the Robin closed the ledger he was working on with a loud thump and stood up, stretching. "That takes care of that. If you're done chatting are we ready to go?"

* * *

The restaurant was nothing particularly fancy, though Kaden seemed happy that they served mochi. The kitsune led the bulk of the conversation, mostly telling silly anecdotes from his travels. She laughed when it was appropriate, but her mind was thinking about something else.

The biggest mystery at the table: Robin. After working with him for four and a half days she could tell that he was a very private person. Any time she asked him something he would dismiss it and say variety of:

_"I'd rather not talk about it for now."_

She had let it slide in order to get on with business. However, now was as good a time as any to try and breach the subject.

She waited until Kaden finished his latest anecdote and asked, "You know, I've been meaning to ask you, Robin. How did you get injured, anyways?"

Wow. That sounded way better in her head. Way to go Anna. Better to just roll with it.

Robin went quiet and noticeably hesitated before answering, fiddling with the curry in his bowl. "Honestly, I think you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

Robin sighed, before looking her straight in the eye and deadpanning, "An army of invisible soldiers claiming a dragon to be their leader."

He was right. She didn't believe him. It was so ridiculous sounding that an involuntary snort had escaped her mouth before she could stop it.

Robin groaned in frustration, his spoon clattering on to his bowl as his hand went to his forehead running a hand through his hair in frustration. "See? I told you."

"Sorry, sorry, but come on,  _invisible_  soldiers? I'm not saying I don't believe you," she didn't, but he looked so crestfallen at her answer that she couldn't help but try to backtrack, "but you have to admit, that would be hard for anyone to swallow. Besides, dragons are a dumb myth. If they ever existed, they're long gone by this poi- Hey, where are you…?"

Robin had stood up from the table and started to leave. His answer was curt. "I'm headed to the library. I'll see you back at your stall." He left the curry nearly untouched.

"What did I say?" she muttered.

"You did basically just call him a liar."

She looked up, and saw Kaden looking vaguely amused, eyebrows raised. She averted her eyes. "But you heard what he said too, right?"

"I did, and you're right. It does sound pretty out-there, but he also seems convinced that it's true."

Silence reigned in between them for a while and they both continued eating if only to fill the void. After what felt like a couple of minutes passed, Kaden spoke up again.

"Did you know that Robin spends pretty much all of his free time at the library?"

Anna cocked an eyebrow, "So he likes books. I read novels occasionally too. What's your point?"

Kaden shook his head. "You know, you're pretty rude for merchant."

"Hey!"

Kaden chuckled, "Heh, take it as a compliment. It means you speak your mind. Anyways, it's not stuff like novels. He gets stacks of history books, maps, charters. It's like he's searching for something."

But what was it? "So why don't we help him then?"

"I already offered, but he almost immediately turned me down. Said that he 'did research better on his own' or something, and that if he found what he was looking for he'd tell me." He rubbed the back of his neck, looking embarrassed. "Though I'm kind of glad, really. I can't stomach just how dully they structure history books, and I'm honestly terrible with maps. I just kind of go wherever suits me."

Anna smiled. "Sounds like you."

"Wow, am I really that easy to read?"

"It's not a bad thing."

"I guess." Kaden leaned in closer, voice dropping lower. "Even though Robin asked me to leave after that, I stuck around in secret, just to keep an eyes and ears on him."

"He'd need it with how much of a trouble magnet he is." Nearly every time he came back from an errand, she could tell from his face that something had happened, even though he never said anything. Probably just slander from people who thought he was Nohrian. Stupid tourists.

Kaden nodded. "Right. Thankfully, no trouble really happened. But…the more he would read, the more maps he looked through, the more frustrated he would get. I would hear snatches of him talking to himself, like, 'Why is there not even a reference?' or 'it should be here,' or just 'nothing' repeated over and over, book after book. Whatever he's searching for, he isn't finding it."

He shifted in his seat. "I'm… worried about him."

Anna couldn't think of a good response for that. At least she had a partial answer for why he looked so stressed earlier, but it made her feel worse for not asking sooner. Mystery or not, he was still a person.

She and Kaden finished their meal in silence, before they began the trek back to her stall. As he'd promised them, Robin was there waiting for them. She planned on saying something, but choked up. Kaden returned to the front to attract customers, she returned to handling sales after she sent her sister away, and Robin went off on another errand.

Mystery or not, she still had a shop to run.

But…

In a day and a half, the Festival would be over. Robin and Kaden wouldn't have any reason to stay anymore. They'd say their goodbyes. She would go back to traveling around.

And she would be alone again.

* * *

"Still at it, I see."

Odin didn't look up from the tome he was reading. There was no point, as without looking he could practically see Niles leaning against the shelves in a position that would allow him to easily see any entrance and exit to the place. An impressive feat for someone with only one remaining eye.

"Fate has brought us to this circumstance again? I should think you know me well enough by this point to know what I'm doing." Odin's eyes continued to scan the page; they darted back and forth as he turned another page. Nothing new yet, but even three years with nary a breakthrough wouldn't stop him. He let out a low chuckle. "The darkness in me hungers for knowledge: a craving that can never be slaked. Such is my curse."

"And your mission from Lord Leo?"

"None could ever see one who has the shadows for aid. But I feel as though my power was wasted in this effort. The enemy is here for rest and relaxation at the Archduke's behest. Nothing more."

He heard a slight shift of fabric, and in his mind's eye saw Niles' lone eye roll. "Cut the theatrics, Odin. It's just you and me here."

Odin finally looked up and saw Niles leaning in the exact spot he imagined him to be, and glanced about. The library in the castle of Izumo was silent, empty save for a librarian out of earshot and a crackling fireplace. However, if he listened closely, Odin could hear the tell-tale signs of typical castle activity outside the room.

He sighed. "Very well, but it still doesn't change my report or what I'm doing. Coming up with new spells requires a lot of research and patience."

"By looking through the abridged history of religions in Izumo?" Odin choked a little. If the tiny smirk that played over Niles' mouth was any indication, he'd noticed his reaction.

Odin quickly recovered. "Many religions and cults were centered around peculiar varieties of magic. Though things that involve sacrifice are off the table, since obviously they aren't viable in battle, some of the rituals provide inspiration for my magic. And for the cool names, of course."

The smirk turned predatory. "Feigning innocence? Come now, both of us know what you're really searching for. How'd you refer to it again?" Out of his pocket he pulled a small journal that Odin immediately recognized, and his eyes widened.

Niles flipped to a page in the book. "Ah, yes. The 'ceiling dragon.'" He snapped the book shut. "Your code needs work. Anyone who's been in Krackenburg's throne room long enough with King Garon knows that you're referring to Anankos."

Odin's breath hitched on reflex, but he quickly calmed as he reminded himself:  _It won't trigger the curse._  Instead he closed his eyes and put on an annoyed expression.

"Will you please stop nicking my stuff?"

"How can I, when it's so interesting? After all, it's the only clues I get to the past you refuse to bring up." His arms splayed into a gross approximation of a shrug.

"You're one to talk."

The smirk turned to a frown and Niles' eyes narrowed. "Lord Leo knows, and that is enough. How can I ever fully trust someone who popped up out of nowhere? Besides, you're deliberately trying to change the subject." Niles tossed the book to Odin, who caught it without thinking. "Any new findings on your little obsession?"

"What do you want, Niles?" Odin asked, slipping the book back into a hip pouch.

"I want to know why you're so fixated on dragons, on  _this_  dragon in particular. Every time we go to a new place you're always headed for the books. I always assumed that it was for your obsession with tomes and all the darkness nonsense you're always spouting. But this," Niles chuckled, "Well, this is far more interesting."

Odin sighed. No point in lying about it if Niles had seen inside it. "There's nothing new here. It's just the usual vague descriptions about a 'Silent Dragon,' and the brief cult following it had before it up and disappeared. Assuming you read through all my notes," he sent out an annoyed glare, "then you'll know I've deduced it's the being they worshiped is same being as Anankos, a manakete."

"And what's that?"

Odin realized he hadn't meant to say the last part but continued on anyways. "A being that can transform into a dragon, with help of a stone. Think of them like the wolfskin and kitsune."

"So then what makes you think that Anankos is a manakete?"

Besides meeting him personally?

"Easy: despite what some legends say, all manaketes are just dragons. As for the cult following, well, if you lived for thousands of years and amassed enough power, someone somewhere is going to think you're some kind of god. Let that go to your head and boom, you've got grounds for a deity."

"You make it sound like you have personal experience with them." Niles scoffed. "Next are you going to tell me you know the Dawn and Dusk dragons personally?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Actually, hold that thought." Niles held up a hand to silence him and Odin saw his eye flick to the door. "We're about to have company."

Sure enough, the door to the castle library opened and in walked…

Odin's eyes furrowed as he tensed. It was the two retainers with the newly arrived Hoshidan prince behind them, the group he had been tailing earlier in the day. Had they noticed his sleuthing and followed him back?

They were faced each other mid-conversation. His hand reflexively reached down to the separate pouch that carried his battle tome, before he remembered that all of their weapons had been confiscated on upon arrival to the castle.

"…Oh."

He realized that the trio had stopped. The woman with blue hair, was staring right at him with an expression that could only be considered 'murdery.' Odin suppressed the chills it sent up his spine and resolved to give the glare a better name later.

He glanced at Niles, and an understanding born of years working together was quick to come. Both were prepared if it came to a confrontation.

However, Odin wasn't prepared for the woman to turn around and storm out. Or try to storm out before the man with brown hair tied back grabbed her with a grunt. "Oboro! Lord Takumi said that he needed-"

The woman, Oboro, turned to face him, throwing the arm of the man off of her. "We can get it another time, Hinata." She shot another glare at him and Niles.

Wow, that was…eerie? No, that wasn't quite right.

No. Focus. Name later.

The Hoshidan prince, who had been silent, spoke up, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. "What are Nohrians doing inside the castle?"

It looked like Hinata was hesitating, like he wanted to diffuse the situation, before Niles spoke. "We were invited, of course. But don't let us Nohrians scare you off. Maybe we can help you find what you're looking for. Don't worry, we don't bite."

Coming out of anyone else's mouth that might have sounded assuring, but leave it to Niles to make it sound sinister enough to escalate whatever issue Oboro had.

"Why you little…" Oboro whirled around, stepping back towards them, throwing off Hinata's attempts to calm her down. Odin stood, preparing a hex-

An earth shattering boom of what sounded like thunder shook the room, and everyone present stumbled. Once they'd righted themselves, all of them save Odin reached for weapons that weren't there.

"What did you do?!" Oboro yelled.

" _We_  didn't do anything," Niles retorted, "and the longer we just stand around throwing blame, the less likely chance we have of figuring out what happened."

A short, tense standoff followed between the parties, before they all briefly nodded and poured out of the library doors, animosity temporarily forgotten in favor of figuring out what in Naga's name was going on.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens. 
> 
> A note on OC's: they're there to flesh out the world, not take the lead, so don't worry about that if you're not a fan of them.
> 
> Anyways. Fun fact, you guys on AO3 are lucky. FF.netters had to wait 5 months between chapter 4 and 5. But it also means you gave me the motivation to write this part instead of letting in be stuck in my head. Thank you.


	6. Contact

**Chapter 6 - Contact**

* * *

The sun was setting as Leo started running towards the source of the magical surge. It was obvious that something wasn't right. The entire castle must have heard the thunderous noise and even those not attuned to magic must have felt something of the immense wave of magic that accompanied it. Something of this magnitude couldn't be a normal occurrence. Especially since he could feel that the source was close to, if not right on top of, where the archduke was holed up.

Yet, as he ran, he encountered no resistance, no guards or patrols he knew the castle had from his restless walks throughout the section he was confined to. Nothing save a few servants milling about, some looking worried, others grouped up talking too lowly for him to hear as he rushed past. The atmosphere put him on edge.

As he turned the corner to the dead end where he knew the ornate door lay, Leo skidded to a stop and froze. His eyes widened, greeted by the sight of a dozen people on the ground. Dead.

Given his upbringing, he was no stranger to death, but this was…

As Leo moved carefully up to the closest body after stepping over a spear, he immediately recognized the armor as standard issue from the Nohrian army. The symbol of Nohr emblazoned on the back would make it obvious to anyone unfamiliar with the style.

Of course, he hadn't ordered any attack, so it fell to reason that this must have been on his father's orders. What exactly had they been trying to accomplish? Kill the archduke, or perhaps hold him hostage?

Regardless of their intentions, they had failed.

So then, what had killed them? Leo, crouched down to the nearest body, noting that the stone underneath was charred in a small circle. He ran a gloved hand over the blackened ground and it came away with dark grit. Possibly from extraordinarily powerful lightning magic, if the thunderous boom from earlier was any indication.

He stood, wiping the grit from his finger, and he noted that all the bodies shared similar scorched circles underneath, save two that were slumped to either side of the frame of the door, dead from regular stab wounds. Probably the guards of the shrine. He carefully stepped over the other corpses towards an unarmored body closest to the door. The leader of the attack? Leo rolled the body over with his foot.

His eyes narrowed. The face was still recognizable, even marred with fresh burns that blossomed in a pattern that reminded him of a spider's web.

"Zola," he murmured. Master illusionist in service to King Garon. Had he been disguised among his men the whole time? If so, why?

From his peripheral vision, Leo caught a bright flash. He blinked before his eyes flicked to the ornate door, and he caught a brief glimpse of an unfamiliar glowing symbol, possibly a rune he did not recognize, before it flickered and disappeared.

A magical ward? It could explain the situation he was faced with, but he had never encountered one so powerful, or at least not any that had such lethal consequences. Even so, he stepped away from the door, just in case.

Yet, come to think of it, he hadn't detected anything of the sort when he'd been here before, and from his own experience, wards took ridiculous amounts of time and skill to set up. Not to mention how out of character it seemed for the leader of a supposedly peaceful nation to set up something like this. Even if this communion with the gods was that important or sacred, wouldn't it make more sense for the ward to be non-lethal?

"Lord Leo!"

Leo turned towards Odin's voice, and saw him and Niles rushing over, stopping short of the bodies.

"Are you unharmed, milord?" Niles asked, eye roving over his form, presumably to search for injury.

Leo nodded waving off the concern. "Yes, don't worry Niles. I'm fine." He carefully weaved his way around the bodies away from the warded door, and gestured vaguely to Zola's corpse behind him, disgust creeping into his voice. "However, as you can see there's a probl-"

He stopped his explanation short as a trio of people hurried around the corner, headed by the second prince of Hoshido himself, Takumi. Though they had never personally met, Leo had made it a point to study his enemies and knew both of Prince Takumi's appearance, temperament and of his prowess with the divine bow, the Fujin Yumi.

This didn't bode well at all.

Their eyes met and the Hoshidan's immediately narrowed in suspicion, his hand reaching behind him, as if to grab the yumi that was not there. After a moment, he seemed to settle crossing his arms and calling out, "I should've known as soon as I saw your entourage that a Nohrian royal was here."

"I'm here because the archduke invited me as guest." Leo replied, even though he still had not clue as to  _why._

"And them," Prince Takumi gestured to the carnage behind Leo, "Were they  _invited_  here as well?"

Leo took a breath. No need to be defensive as he had done nothing wrong. "They came with me, yes, but they were only a guard. I assure you I had no knowledge of what happened here. I'm as much in the dark as you are."

Takumi let out a mirthless laugh. "You know for some reason, I don't believe you. I wonder why." The contempt was laced thickly in his voice. "Maybe it's because the last time we trusted a Nohrian royal, he slaughtered our king. And maybe, just like this, you were prepared to look innocent, to cover it up, only to stab me in the back when I drop my guard."

"I would do no such thing!" Leo could hardly blame Takumi for the bitter accusation, especially with the incriminating scene behind him. Even so, maybe it was his stubborn sense of pride for Nohr, or maybe he was just going stir crazy, but he could feel his patience already wearing thin.

So he retaliated. "For a nation that supposedly eschews war, you were surprisingly quick to get revenge, kidnapping a Nohrian royal."

"I think you're remembering it wrong. Nohr is the one who started the war, not us: you kidnapped Kamui.  _We_  retaliated in self-defense."

"Her name is Corrin." Leo's view became partially obscured as his retainers moved in front of him, on guard, sensing the tension in the air. He saw what he assumed to be Takumi's retainers do the same.

"Hmph. You would change her name, wouldn't you? After all, Nohr corrupts everything it touches. There's no telling what lies you've filled her head with."

"How dare you-!"

Leo stopped as a loud slam echoed from behind him. Eager for a target for his frustration, Leo turned to face the supposed threat. He felt a hand grab his arm that started crackling with dark magic, and dimly he was aware that everyone present was preparing best they could for a confrontation.

Only for that tension and his magic to be cut like puppet strings as Archduke Izana stepped through the opening. He was smiling, not the serene smile Leo had encountered before, but an elated, almost, dare he say, manic grin. Not to mention he looked surprisingly fresh for someone who had been holed up for more than half a week.

"I was wondering who was creating all of that racket. Here I was thinking it might be another band of assassins, but it's just you guys!" He laughed jovially at the horrible attempt to diffuse the tension.

At least, that's what it had to be, right?

Leo saw Takumi step up, "Archduke Izana-"

He was quickly cut off. "No, no, no. None of those fancy titles right now. Just Izana is fine."

The Prince of Hoshido hesitated, as if unsure of himself, before he continued. "Uh, right. Izana." He straightened, and Leo recognized it as the posture typical of a soldier giving a report. "Your divining ritual was interrupted by-"

"-by these Nohrians here, yes?" He gestured to the dead, and no one was given time to respond before Izana pressed on. "Don't worry, She already dealt with them. Divine retribution and all that." He looked down at the bodies distastefully. "Perhaps it was a bit much, but right now I can't afford any delays, so I won't say I'm ungrateful."

Leo blinked.

Was this even the same person he met before? The meeting had been brief, sure, but still.

"Now on to the matter at hand-"

"Wait," Prince Takumi interrupted, "you're just going to ignore the fact that a troop of Nohrian assassins tried to not only disturb a holy ritual, but kill you as well?"

Izana pouted; yes,  _pouted_. "Didn't I already say they've been dealt with? Besides they weren't going to kill me. The illusionist was going to impersonate me, capture you, hold you as a bargaining chip while he quietly took over Izumo, yada yada, you get the idea. Oh, and before you get any ideas, Leo over there had nothing to do with it. He's as much of an innocent bystander as you are."

The Hoshidan Prince stood there, mouth opening and closing for a moment, and Leo couldn't help but feel vindicated, just as much as he couldn't believe his luck. Odin was looking awestruck, Niles was still grasping his arm (he quickly pried it off), and Takumi's retainers looked as though they couldn't decide whether to be confused or outraged.

The silence that hovered after the archduke's declaration was broken by Odin. "How did you come by such knowledge? The darkness in me compels me seek an answer to this enigma."

"The gods told me, of course. Well, mostly just one, but that's not really important." And Izana waved it away as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. He turned to actually face Odin, and Leo noticed a look of recognition flash in the archduke's eyes as he clapped. "Ah, it's you!"

"Uh…me?"

"Yes, you. It's good that you're here. It'll make some things much simpler."

Odin glanced at Niles as if he would have answers, and Niles simply shrugged.

"Thank you?" Odin responded, clearly unsure. What was that about?

Izana stepped past the corpses and started walking through everyone. "Right, now that that's out of the way, the rest of your questions can wait until an official meeting before the party at the end of this Festival. Much as I'd love to do it now, this location could use a little cleanup."

That was putting it mildly.

Izana stopped just past Takumi, before he rapidly turned back to face them. "Actually, when does the Festival of Spring end?"

"Tomorrow," Niles supplied.

Izana's eyes widened. "Really? Wow, four days is a new record; no wonder I feel exhausted! I'll have to tell the good captain about it after I break him and guards out of the break room they're currently barred into. As for you all, I suggest getting some rest so you can have fun at the festival tomorrow before nightfall. Things are going to really get busy then."

He swirled around and was almost at the corner before he called without turning. "I'll send someone along with the details later. Tah!"

He disappeared around the corner, leaving silence in his wake.

It was breached by Takumi's brown-haired retainer. "Can…can someone tell me what just happened?"

"I'll tell you what happened." Takumi glared at Leo, and Leo matched it, coldly. "You got lucky. Just because Izana is giving you a free pass, doesn't mean I will. I've got my eye on you Nohrians. Try anything like this again and I will make you live to regret it." He turned and called, "Oboro, Hinata, let's go." His retainers turned to follow and the group disappeared around the corner.

Leo breathed a sigh of relief. Good riddance. He really needed to have a talk with Father about letting him know of plans like this, if only so he could be better prepared with contingencies in the future.

"Well, they were a lively bunch," Niles quipped, before turning to face him. "I assume you want me to investigate the rest of our entourage to avoid another mishap? If they're hiding something, you know I have ways of making them talk."

"If necessary. However, I doubt there will be any need for such extremes." He turned to Odin. "I trust you're prepared to dispel any more illusions we come across?"

Odin smirked, throwing his arm out in front of him, his hand clenching. "Absolutely, milord. Any who dare sully the name of Lord Leo will find that none can hide in the shadows from Odin Dark."

Leo nodded, satisfied. "Excellent." Without a word, he set off, his retainers easily falling into step behind him.

* * *

Cherry blossoms fell from the sakura trees scattered throughout the marketplace, creating a light coating of petals on the street and on top of the awnings of the stalls. The sun was dipping below the horizon, yet as usual, Izumo came alive again as lanterns began to be lit. Kaden thanked Anna's latest customer, bowing slightly as he noticed Robin return from his last resupply run of the day.

Out of his peripheral vision he watched Robin jump down from the cart and Anna come up to accept the shipment. Though the exchange had happened dozens of times in the last few days, after Anna's awkward attempt at asking about Robin at lunch today, neither seemed to want to look each other in the eye. Any passerby who didn't know any better would probably think that the two didn't even know each other outside of business.

Kaden sighed, putting a hand to his forehead. He really needed to do something about this. No, it wasn't really his problem if Anna and Robin metaphorically danced around whatever was going on for the rest of the festival; he didn't owe them anything. But, well. There was only so much avoiding the issue that he could take.

He strode up behind them mid-conversation and threw his arms around them, pulling the two together despite both their yells of protest. Caught off-guard, he could probably hold them long enough to ask his question.

"Hey guys, I've got a grand idea. Why don't we all go out for some tea after we close up for the night?"

As he anticipated, both of them started protesting, even as they struggled to get out of his tightening grip.

"Didn't we already go out for lunch?" Robin asked.

"I'm not going to pay for it."

"Don't worry about it," He grinned as he looked between the two. "It's my treat."

However, instead of relenting like he hoped, the both of them began making excuses, talking over each other.

"Actually, I was planning on doing more research at the-."

"-still need to contact some of my suppliers before-"

"-feel like I'm close to a breakthrough-"

"-was going to go to my sister's to-"

"-librarian said he might get a book I requested from the archduke himself-"

"-really need to make sure that-"

Frankly, Kaden had heard enough. From his position, he quickly shifted his hands to their heads and cracked them together. He probably didn't do it hard enough to daze them, but it had the desired result of shutting them up for a moment. He let go and backed off as they stumbled, rubbing their skulls, and waved away the concern and curiosity of the other merchants and onlookers around them.

Anna was indignant. "What was that for?!"

Wow, it was like dealing with kits. He gestured with both hands to the city around them. "Have either of you looked around? You remember that this entire week is supposed to be a festival, right?"

Robin cricked his neck to the side, brushing away a stray falling sakura petal that blew onto his face before answering. "It's kind of hard to ignore."

Kaden shook his head. "It's been nearly five days and not once has either of you stopped once to enjoy it. It's all work, work, work, busy, busy, busy." He shot a pointed look at Anna. "I think we should take a moment to really get to know each other, and," he looked at Robin, "relax a little for once. Too much work is terrible for anyone."

Anna made a soft "oh," sound. It seemed like that at least she got what he was trying to do. Robin on the other hand, was still dismissive.

"It sounds like a waste of time." He turned around, heading back to the cart with Anna's resupply. "I already have plans to-"

Kaden clapped a hand on Robin's shoulder and felt him tense underneath his grip. "Robin, if I have to physically tear you away from those books to get you there, I will."

"But-"

"Nope, this is non-negotiable." He paused before he added, "Please."

The background noise of the market filled in a long moment before he felt Robin's shoulders relax as he let out a breath through clenched teeth.

"Fine. I'll go. Now can you let go of me and help me unload this?"

Kaden smiled. "Sure thing, buddy," and lifted his hand from Robin's shoulder. He was about to join him before something stopped him by tug on his sleeve. He looked back to see Anna with a grateful look on her face.

"Thanks for that."

Kaden gave her his best innocent smile, though he could tell it probably came out more like a grin. "Don't know what you're talking about."

She punched him lightly on the arm. "Jerk."

Kaden laughed it off "Just don't mess it up this time, yeah?"

Anna nodded. "Right," and both moved to their tasks. Of course, this was the easy part. He had a feeling getting both of them to talk would be much harder.

* * *

The night's revelry was in full swing. Humans danced to music in the central square while children ran about, laughing as they stirred up fallen cherry blossoms. A street performer in costume yelled out exuberantly as his audience cheered. Others hurried along chatting animatedly with purchases from a few street vendors who were still hawking their wares. Throughout the reverie, humans from all walks of life were coexisting, enmity temporarily forgotten in the face of the festivities and, Kaden's nose wrinkled, probably more than a little alcohol.

All of it stood in stark contrast to their silent table at the tea shop. He nodded in thanks to Sachiko as she served their drinks, but neither of the table's other occupants moved to do anything with them. Anna looked lost at how to start some sort of conversation, though he could hardly blame her for considering how badly her attempt went last time.

For his part, Robin leaned back in his chair, eyes closed and arms crossed, clearly annoyed. The area was loud, especially to Kaden's more sensitive ears, but when he sipped his tea, it felt like the loudest noise in the world.

His tail twitched behind him. He couldn't take the silence anymore. There needed to be some sort of dialogue, not just him telling them about his travels. "So, where are you guys from? You already know I come from west of here, though at this time of year it might be more southwest. Kitsune are pretty nomadic." Especially after…

He breathed out, dispelling the unpleasant thought.

Thankfully, Anna took the hint and started talking. "I'm not really from anywhere. I never knew my parents, and being part of a merchant family that's all over, I never stayed in one place for long."

"Huh. So then, how long have you been travelling on your own?"

Anna rubbed the back of her neck, seemingly a bit embarrassed. "Not for long actually. I'll be barely out on my own for a year come summer."

Kaden nodded. "Hey, No need to be embarrassed about it. We all start somewhere, right?"

She averted her eyes. "I guess…" Maybe it was a sore subject? She turned to Robin, who had opened his eyes. "So how about you, Robin?"

Robin sighed, eyes still closed. "Would you believe me, even if I told you?"

Anna huffed, annoyed. "Look, Robin if this is about earlier, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so dismissive."

Robin opened his eyes, and to Kaden they seemed conflicted. He let out a breath. "No, it's… fine. I mean, it  _does_  sound pretty absurd when you say it out loud, doesn't it?" His voice went soft. "I'm almost starting to think I may have imagined it, myself."

Neither of them had a good response to that.

"Plegia. That's where I come from. I take it neither of you have heard of it?"

Anna glanced at Kaden, and he shrugged. He'd been all over, but hadn't ever heard of the place, though to be fair, Robin had seemed completely unaware of the local geography.

Robin sighed. "Yeah, I thought as much. You know what's weird? According the local and world maps I've studied, the nations of Yllise or Plegia don't exist."

"You mean they aren't provinces or towns within Hoshido or Nohr or something?" Anna asked.

"No, they're huge nations, along with Regna Ferox that make up Archanea. The continents of Valm and Jugdral are absent as well. They aren't there. At all. Not even references. Nothing."

"That is strange," Anna piped in, frowning, before her face lit up with an idea. "But, just because those books don't have anything on them doesn't mean that no one would have ever heard of them. I think you're forgetting something." She gestured to those at the table. " _We_  may never have heard of them, but it's possible that one of my sisters would. We have a huge network, and who knows? Maybe we could also find the Anna you know in the process."

Kaden's eyebrows rose. Robin already knew one of her sisters?

Robin's eyes momentarily widened. "Of course," and he leaned forward in his seat, hand going to his chin, clearly thinking. He ran his fingers through his hair. "Ugh, why didn't I think of that before?" He looked towards Anna. "How long do you think it would take to get this information?

"It's hard to say, but," she held a finger up, "I need to know as much as possible. The more information I can tell them, the quicker and more likely you'll get an answer."

Robin hesitated, thinking a moment, before he nodded. "Fine. I'll tell you what I know, but let's do it at the library. This place is too loud. And, as I said before, I still want to check if that book's in yet."

"Alright, it's a deal."

Finally, they were getting somewhere. He waved Sachiko over to pay the bill. But when he handed over the gold, she leaned down to take it and whispered low enough that only he picked up what she said. "Boss wants to talk to you."

As she left, one of his ears flicked. Nina was here? Kaden glanced around and sure enough, she was sitting at previously unoccupied table alone, cross-legged, and casually sipping tea. He was positive she hadn't been there when he came in.

What did she want?

"Are you coming, Kaden?"

"Huh?" Both Robin and Anna were already standing, Robin with his arms folded in what looked like impatience. "Oh, yeah." He stood. "But, uh, go ahead without me; I'll catch up in a bit."

Anna's face scrunched up as she tilted her head tilted in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well…" He tried hard not to look in Nina's direction.

Robin rolled his eyes. "He means that it's probably none of our business and doesn't need us to pry. Let's leave him to it, Anna. He already said he'd catch up, right?"

"Alright…"

Kaden nodded and shot Robin a grateful look, which he returned with a shrug as he and Anna exited the tea shop, making a mental note to pay him back for that. Neither of them needed to get involved with a group that dealt with the  _looser_  side of the law, to put it lightly.

As he made his way over to the table, he let out a breath, hopefully whatever it was it would be nothing big. He already didn't think much of Spectre and after their last heist. Nina gave him a small, unconcerned wave as he sat down across from her.

Kaden raised a brow. "Should you really be out and about? Isn't there a bounty on your head or something?"

She grinned. "Don't know what you're talking about."

He scoffed. "Don't give me that crap."

"Can't even a girl on the run enjoy a nice cup of tea once in a while?"

Kaden shook his head. "That's not why you're here and you know it. Stop playing around and tell me what you want."

Nina set down her tea "Sheesh, killjoy, what's got you so worked up today? Is playing salesman really that rough?"

"You know about-?" He stopped himself short at the look she gave him. "Right, never mind. Besides, you know what's bothering me."

"Seto." She closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her as she sighed. "If it's any consolation, we already kicked him out. He wasn't even mad about it. I guess I just never realized he had such a huge personal vendetta against that Spirit Dust trafficker."

"Enough to kill the man in broad daylight."

Nina slumped a little in her seat, and it made his heart sink a little. "I know, I know. But you know how good he was at his job. You're almost as good as he was."

"Gee, thanks." He rolled his eyes. Trust her to insult and compliment his abilities in the same sentence. "That aside, if this is about another heist, wasn't there someone else who could do it?"

She shook her head. "They already backed out."

"Seriously?" Why would they…? "Wait you're not actually going through with the raiding the archduke's vault, are you? I thought you were joking around!"

"No, we're dead serious. I have it on good authority that the archduke has something good locked up in there. If it's good enough to be locked behind that kind of security, then it's worth my time. It'll be a good challenge." Nina glanced around, before she leaned in. "Look, we could manage it without your skill set, but we'd have a much better chance with you there."

"I…I don't know, Nina. What exactly will you need me to do?"

"If you accept the job, you'll get more details. Actually, if you do it, I'll consider the favor you owe me fully repaid."

Kaden's eyebrows shot up. If she was willing to give up a life debt, then she really  _was_  serious about it. Even so… He glanced out in the direction where Robin and Anna had gone.

Nina seemed to sense his hesitation. "Look, I'll give you until morning to choose. That way, you can finish your business with your new friends or whatever."

He nodded in thanks. "How should I find you?"

"You won't. Just tell Sachiko your decision. If you say yes," and the way she said it, she clearly wanted him to, "she'll give you a place and you'll get to see my pretty face again."

He grinned. "Don't be absurd. You're face isn't nearly as beautiful as mine."

"Heh, dream on, Kaden. See ya." And with that, she left, disappearing into the crowds of the festival.

He felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to see another server, looking nervous.

"Um, your date said that you'd pay the bill." Kaden glanced at the empty tea cup where Nina had been sitting, then back to the server.

She'd left without paying.

Kaden shook his head as he handed over a relative pittance of gold. A friend though she may be, this was an unsubtle reminder that Nina was still very much still a thief. After giving his thanks to the server, he weaved his way out into the street, lost in thought.

Though he didn't care much for Spectre, he owed Nina for saving his life. If she was giving him a way to pay her back, even if it was from something like this, he would take it. It might be awkward to say goodbye to Robin and Anna, for a bit, but he could probably catch at least one of them after the festival. Either one of them seemed like interesting enough people to follow around for a while.

His nose twitched, and he stopped suddenly, earning the ire of a few people walking behind him. He ignored them.

There it was again. That scent.

On an impulse, he looked up to the rooftops, and he squinted to see a shimmer in the air. As if noticing his stare, the shimmer quickly moved, jumping across rooftops in the direction of the library.

Towards where Robin and Anna were headed. His ears flattened.

 _"An army of invisible soldiers claiming a dragon to be their leader."_  At the time, like Anna, he hadn't really believed it either.

The crowds seemed to thicken as Kaden broke into a run, roughly pushing past festival goers, ignoring their cries of protest. He really hoped he was wrong, that he was imagining things, but his fingers clutched around the beaststone in his pocket, just in case.

* * *

Robin opened the double doors of the library ahead of her to reveal row upon row of shelves of books and scrolls. The windows were opened, possibly in an attempt to coax a slight breeze into the dusky atmosphere. Anna vaguely remembered coming here once or twice before with her sisters to help plan a trade route, but mostly she just bought her reading material from traders. With no gold, Robin would have no such luxury.

Robin led her over to the portly librarian who was in the midst of organizing a shelf of scrolls. He looked up from his work, recognition flashing in his eyes.

"Ah, Robin!" He dusted off his hands. "It's good to see you again. Though I see you've brought a friend this time. Wonderful! All are welcome in the house of knowledge."

Robin simply nodded, "Sure," and gestured between her and the librarian. "Anna, meet Anders."

Anna waved awkwardly, as Anders turned beady eyes towards her. "Ah, you must be one of the Anna sisters. Unless I'm mistaken…?"

Her left eye twitched involuntarily. It always irked her that her, or rather her sisters' reputation preceded her wherever she went. But it was the hand in life she had been dealt, and it wouldn't change anytime soon. Instead of retorting, she simply answered. "Yes, that's right."

Anders dipped his head in a measure of respect, before turning his attention back to Robin. "I assume you're here to resume your research?"

"Yes, but were you able to get the book I requested last night?"

"Ah, right." He shuffled his feet a little. "No I'm afraid not, as I was barred from entering the castle proper. It seems there was some commotion with the archduke there earlier if the rumors are to be believed. However, rest assured that I should be able to procure it before tomorrow's end. You will be sticking around at least until then, I presume?"

She saw Robin glance her way. Tomorrow would be the last day she'd enlisted him to help. "At least until then, yes. After that, everything is up in the air at the moment."

The librarian laughed good-naturedly. "Good, good. Though perhaps you ought to spend some time enjoying the festivities tomorrow evening, instead of being holed up in here all night." He leaned in and started stage-whispering. "I hear the archduke is pulling out all the stops this year. I doubt you'll want to miss that." He winked.

"We'll see." She noticed Robin start to tap his foot.

Anders seemed to notice the impatience too as he straightened up. "Well I shan't keep you any longer. Your research is still undisturbed in the corner on the table where you left it."

Robin led her past more shelves towards a secluded corner, before he stopped splaying out his arms, grinning. "Welcome to my lair."

She cocked an eyebrow, resting a hand on her hip "Wow, were you practicing that line or something?"

"Nah, just what I started saying it when, well…" Something flashed in his eyes, not pain, but it was gone before she could get a good read on it. "Never mind."

He moved out of her view and she saw a table stacked to the brim with maps, books, scrolls, both open and closed. Most the books seemed history related, but she noticed a lone book titled "Hoshidan Battle Tactics" lying on top of one of the piles, a bookmark in its pages. In the center of the table, a large map of the continent was laid out flat.

She walked up to his setup, running a hand over the map. "Wow, this is pretty impressive."

Robin looked up from where he was pulling some notes out of an inner pocket of his cloak, setting the parchment down. "This?" He chuckled. "This is nothing. You should've seen my tent during the Valm campaign."

"Huh?"

"Oh, right, you wouldn't know. Maybe another time, sorry." He leaned forwards, reaching over the table to a lantern resting on the corner, lighting the wick with a snap of his fingers.

She blinked. Fire magic? "Wait, you're a mage?"

"Is that really so surprising to you?" He brought his left hand out in front of him and small arcs of lightning started dancing between his fingers. "You hardly know anything about me, after all."

She winced. Harsh, but fair. "But, I thought you needed a tome or scroll to do that." She gestured to the crackling in his hand.

Robin shook his head. "Common misconception. Any mage can do something as simple as this without them, and if you had enough power and practice, you could cast even powerful attacks without them. However, it drains most people faster than is viable for any real practical long-term use. Hence, tomes." He clenched his hand and the lightning dissipated. "I take it you're not a mage, then?"

"Nope, never had a spark of magic in me. I've always stuck to swords, though I…haven't really had any real combat experience. Mostly just practice in self-defense."

"That's probably fine, seeing as you're a merchant. So." Robin leaned back, pressing his hands flat against the side of the table. "What do you need to know?"

She gestured to the pile behind him. "You're not going to tell me anything about that?"

"If I find anything useful, you'll be the second to know."

"Wait, second?"

"Kaden. He's not exactly been subtle about watching me. What do you need to know?" He repeated.

"Right, sorry." Where to start exactly? She couldn't exactly start by asking if, say he was a dark mage. Instead she settled on a familiar topic. "How do you know Anna? The one you knew before me, I mean."

"She was a merchant who had an exclusivity deal with the Shepherds while we were at war. She traveled with us, occasionally helping out in battles. She was pretty handy with a Levin sword. Though, come to think of it, we never really talked much. At least, not outside of business."

"Well, that doesn't narrow it down that much." She muttered. "Hmm. So these 'Shepherds' you mentioned. They aren't cattle herders, right?"

"It is an odd name isn't it? No, they were a group of soldiers led directly by the Exalt of Ylisse. His name is Chrom. A naïve, reckless, fool of a kind-hearted man. I served under him as his tactician." Tactician? That could explain why he was as good with numbers as he was. "Until I..." He stopped.

"Until you…?" She prompted.

She noticed Robin rubbing the back of his right hand as he shook his head. "No, that should be enough information for you to-"

Anna jolted in surprise as a loud scream echoed throughout the library, before it was cut short. Robin was alert instantly, his eyes scanning around.

"What was-?"

Robin covered her mouth, whispering into her ear. "Quiet. Stay behind me."

Anna slowly nodded and he uncovered her mouth, edging his way to peek past one of the surrounding shelves. Anna slowly followed. Glancing down to her unburdened hip, she lamented the fact that she had left her sword elsewhere. She should have known better.

"Anders is dead," he reported, still in a hushed tone. "Knife to the neck."

She peeked out, heart missing a beat as her eyes widened in shock at the gruesome sight. She swallowed a bit of bile, mouth suddenly dry. "Who did it? I don't see any-"

She yelled as she was yanked back by her cloak just as a something passed inches from her face. She landed hard on her back even as Robin cast a spear of lightning around the corner of the shelf. There was a soft thump as something hit the floor.

Anna carefully picked herself back up. "What  _was_  that?"

"Assassin. I don't see anyone else, but it doesn't matter." Robin started pulling her to the door, and she was too startled to resist. "We need to move now, or we'll be trapped."

"By what?!"

He didn't answer, and instead dragged her by her arm. However, when he tested the handles, they didn't budge. There was a light whooshing noise followed by all the windows slamming shut before something unseen landed loudly behind them, slightly cracking the floor.

Robin turned with her to face the sound. "Reinforcements."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ambush spawns are the worst, aren't they?
> 
> R.I.P. Zola and Anders, Ch.6 - Ch.6. They will be missed. Press 'f' to pay respects.


	7. Curse

**Chapter 7 - Curse**

* * *

The crowds thinned only slightly as Kaden dashed through the alleyways of the city. It didn't stop the stares, or the annoyance he felt as he pushed past another throng of people. The shimmer - no, invisible soldier, for that's what he convinced himself that it had to be lest he call himself mad - had moved ahead of him what seemed like minutes ago, unhindered by the crowds on the rooftops. In truth, it was probably less than thirty seconds ahead.

Thirty seconds too late, if he didn't get to the library in time.

He had briefly considered shifting to the rooftops as well, but he didn't think that the time he spent figuring out a way up there outweighed any slight advantage of speed it could grant.

Pushing past a street performer's audience, the side street at last opened up to the view of the library. This particular street held blessedly few people to get in his way as he sprinted up the small flight of wooden stairs to the library's door. He slammed the handle of the door down, using his remaining momentum to ram the door open.

And bounced back.

What?

He tried the handle again, slower this time, even throwing his body-weight against the door; yet, it held stubbornly firm.

Too late.

"No!" He growled in frustration, kicking the wood again in a futile gesture. Not like this, not when he was so close! The scent trail definitely led into the library, where it became almost overpowering. Were there more already in there? His sensitive hearing picked up the strangely muted sound of wood cracking inside.

Out here, he was useless.

* * *

Anna froze, shocked into the point of stillness as a spear seemed to appear from thin air above the cracked floor. Robin shouted something before it flew straight at her head. Her eyes widened, heart thumping loudly in her ears as time seemed to stretch. Dimly, she recognized the model of the weapon, a throwing spear, similar to ones that she sold in her shop.

Was…

Was that really going to be her last thought before she died?

A harsh tug on her arm, and she was jerked aside. She heard a cry of pain, followed by a burning sensation in her right shoulder. Her hand went up to reflexively clutch it. It was wet.

She looked down, lifted her hand and saw blood on her palm. She glanced behind her and saw the spear sticking out of the wooden frame of the door.

Oh.

She'd been the one to yell.

"Pay attention!"

Her mind was snapped back into the situation and adrenaline shot through her as a sharp twang sounded. She ducked, and an arrow imbedded itself into the shelf beside her. Robin sent out a lance of lightning towards its source in the rafters, before quickly turning back towards the other threat and put his hand up, palm out.

Runes of magic swirled around him as a concentrated whirlwind stirred up in front of him, right as knives that came out of nowhere towards them were haphazardly redirected. Some flew into the nearby shelves and walls, while two pinged off the enemy in front of her. Briefly, she saw the shape of a heavily armored knight hefting an axe before the enemy disappeared.

The runes swirled faster as he stepped forward and the whirlwind surged forward like a wave. With a loud crack it uprooted four of the shelves and sent their contents flying. One of the shelves landed on something unseen, looking for all the world like it was leaning on nothing.

Through it all, she could do nothing as she watched Robin move to cast another spell, shooting it blindly, looking strained. Hadn't he just mentioned that without tomes, mages would drain themselves extraordinarily fast? How long could he keep this up?

There had to be something she could do. Otherwise, right now, she was little more than dead weight.

Her gaze found the spear behind her.

* * *

"Oh, it's you, Kaden."

Kaden turned abruptly at the sound of the slightly annoyed tone to see a scrawny human rubbing his back with one hand and adjusting spectacles onto his face with the other. Vaguely, he recognized the human as a member of Spectre, the one who generally took charge of the planning. In his currently frazzled state, Kaden couldn't recall his name.

"Seems like that old codger Anders locked up early tonight." He started picking up a few scattered books and papers on the street. Had Kaden run into him without realizing it? "Shame, really. Could've used him to bounce off some ideas. What's got you so worked up about getting in there, anyways? Didn't figure you for the book type."

Kaden ran down the stairs and grabbed him by his shoulders, inadvertently knocking the objects he'd gathered from his arms again. Kaden looked him directly in the eye. "Is there any other way in there?"

The man squirmed under his gaze, startled at the sudden contact. "Uh, not that I'm aware of."

Kaden shook him slightly, frustration rising. "Are you sure?"

He glanced nervously to the side at the double doors. "I mean, I suppose you could try to convince Teresa or Nina to pick the lock for you if you really can't wait." He chuckled, though to Kaden it seemed forced. "Though, I guess going through the window shutters around back would attract less attention. What's this about?"

Kaden shook his head. "No time for that."

Pushing away from the human, he dashed away, the fragments of an idea forming. It was a stupid one, but it would have to do.

A good distance down the street, he turned, grabbing the beaststone from his pocket and began sprinting. In a flash of light, his senses sharpened and his viewpoint shifted lower. He ignored the shouts of surprise and fear once he was all fours, accelerating his sprint to a furious pace back towards the library.

A moment before he would have crashed into the stone of the building, he jumped, tucking his head down and shifting his shoulder forward to take the brunt of it as he braced for impact.

This was going to hurt.

With a loud crack, the shutters of the window buckled inward as he crashed through, some of the broken wood scratching him on the way past. It was going to be such a pain to get the splinters out of his fur later. He tucked into a roll before coming to a stop into a combat-ready stance on all fours, extending his previously retracted claws.

The enemies' scent practically reeked throughout the room, and his fur prickled as all attention briefly converged on him. His eyes narrowed and he could barely make out five shapes still standing, not including Anna and Robin to his left at the door. The former was pulling at a spear in the doorframe while the later used the distraction of Kaden's entrance to blast a shape that smelled of metal with powerful fire magic. Superheated slag dripped, sizzling, as the shape resolved into an armored form and collapsed.

Four.

Kaden wasted no more time and charged, leaping towards the closest shimmer's back, dropping it to the floor. The enemy flashed into full visibility as he tore into the unprepared enemy's exposed neck. He tossed the body away with his jaws, gagging at the foul taste.

Death, and something else he couldn't place. No blood.

Three.

Instinct took over as a sword aimed at his neck instead sliced through his flank and he howled at the injury. He growled and shot forward, leaping over another swing, before he shredded the unarmored enemy with his claws.

Two.

"Heads up!"

He looked up just in time realize see Robin about to cast another spell. He ducked as a spear of ice whizzed over his head and skewered the enemy right behind him. Kaden looked back to say his thanks.

Just in time to see Robin collapse to one knee, one hand clutching his head. He didn't miss the last enemy, a mage, finish charging a spell, runes shimmering into visibility.

He dashed forward towards Robin and jumped in front of him as lightning arced over his body.

* * *

Anna saw the transformed kitsune who had to be Kaden roll into a heap, twitching. She watched as Robin weakly tried to cast another spell, but the runes fizzled out pathetically before they fully formed. He collapsed to the floor panting.

No.

Footsteps approaching.

No, she didn't want to die.

She grunted, finding a surge of strength within her and heaved the spear out of the wall, before throwing it towards the sound of approaching footsteps. Unfamiliar with polearms as she was, the throw was awkward, especially with her injured shoulder. Whether through luck or some semblance of skill, the spear hit its mark.

The enemy flashed into view. On their face, there was no expression. The mage fell back and lie still.

Silence flushed out of the library. Dimly she was aware of the sounds of dismay and shouting from the street outside pouring in through the smashed window, but she didn't care.

She was alive. That was all that mattered at the moment.

Anna stumbled her way over to Robin, who was carefully pushing himself up. She crouched down to help him up.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Robin groaned as he pushed himself up to his knees, leaning slightly into her for support. "Ugh. I remembered why I don't like to cast without tomes." He clutched his head. "I'm going to be pretty useless if we have to fight again soon. No big offensive spells. How's Kaden? Or at least, I assume that it's you, right?"

Anna turned her head to the kitsune stumble up, shaking himself off in a way that reminded her of a dog. Or, maybe a fox was a better comparison. If the fox was more than triple its usual size.

"I'll live." It was definitely Kaden's voice, but it echoed oddly. She shielded her eyes as a flash of light radiated off of him. She blinked away spots and when she looked again, he was back to his humanoid shape. "Kitsune have an innate resistance to offensive magic. Still hurts though."

The group was silent again as the kitsune made his way over to them.

"So." Anna swallowed, breaking the stillness. "Invisible soldiers."

"Invisible soldiers," Robin agreed, still slightly out of breath. "At least we know I'm not insane."

She chuckled, but it felt hollow to her. "And who did you say was leading them?"

"A dragon." Robin grunted as he stood. Anna supported him for a moment before he waved it off. "Look, we can have a full discussion later. The enemy knows where we are. We can't stay here."

"Not to mention, there's no way people didn't see my little stunt breaking through that window." Kaden nodded to the ruins of the window shutter, before wincing and clutching his side. "I'm sure if they aren't already, guards are going to be here any second now."

"Why don't we tell them what's going on?" Anna asked, gesturing without looking at the dead soldiers. The sight of corpses still made her queasy.

"Remember how you guys reacted when I told you?" Anna winced, and Robin shook his head. "Besides, look."

He pointed to one of the bodies, and she forced herself to look at them. Her eyes widened.

The body of the mage she had killed was glowing with an ethereal blue light before it burst like a soap bubble into motes of blue light like water droplets, spear and all, before they disappeared. She glanced around and saw the remnants of the same process happening to the rest of the bodies.

Her voice struggled to work. "W-what's…?"

Robin replied to her half question. "It's the perfect assassin, all but undetectable. And even if you kill them, they leave no evidence behind. Brilliant." He shook his head. "We'll take the brunt of the blame if we stick around. Especially with Anders dead and the place trashed like it is. They'd throw us in jail at the very least and we can't afford to waste the time to-"

They all tensed as a pounding from the door echoed throughout the place.

"What's going on in there?!"

"This way!" Kaden called in a loud whisper. Anna followed the two as he led the way to a closed window at the back of the library and unlocked it, checking briefly to either side. "Coast is clear."

"Then let's go before it isn't," Robin urged.

Kaden answered by vaulting out the window. Anna hesitated a moment before following suit.

* * *

Weaving their way through the side streets, the trio didn't make it very far before they had to slow down to a walk. Robin was still weak, Anna was clutching her shoulder, and the wound on Kaden's side was beginning to throb painfully now that the adrenaline was wearing thin.

He tasted the air. Nothing on either the guards or the strange assassins that he could tell, though the air and gathering clouds hinted at rain. "I think we're good for now. I can't sense anything out of the ordinary."

Robin nodded, panting slightly. "Good. How're you holding up?"

"I'll be fine." He glanced over to Anna, who was leaning on the wall of the building, breathing hard, clutching her shoulder. "But we can't keep running like this. We need somewhere to hole up, at least for the night. Think we could risk a healer?"

Robin shook his head. "No, you're too distinctive; we'd be caught before the night is over."

"I-" Anna stopped as he and Robin both turned their attention to her. "I know a place." She seemed unsure, feet shuffling on the path. "But, you can't tell anyone about it."

"How safe are we talking?" Robin asked.

"It's warded." Anna looked towards the castle to the west in the center of the city, then back to the alleyway. "It shouldn't be too much farther east of here. C'mon, I can lead the way."

* * *

One month.

The wind picked up harshly over the rooftops of the capital of Izumo, and below, one of the blooms of the sakura trees in the street below were blown off of a branch.

Four and a half weeks.

The bloom danced in the breeze until it wound its way over a torch lighting the city below.

Thirty-one days.

It danced above the flame a moment before a stray cinder caught the bloom. A moment later, the bloom fell to a burning heap on the ground.

Seven-hundred and forty-four hours.

A knife twirled restlessly in his  _(not yours)_ hand. A ways off, a trio of people led by a red-haired woman entered a hidden door.

Forty-four thousand, six hundred and forty minutes.

The man with white hair  _(his name is Robin, you know)_ turned and glanced about, missing his  _(no, not yours)_ crouched form, before entering like the other two. The door closed behind him.

Two million, six hundred and seventy-eight thousand, four hundred seconds.

Yet, perhaps for his target it had only been a moment. Time stretched, ebbed, flowed, seemingly so…flexible in comparison. Long and short in unequal measures. How else could the man avoid him for such a long time?

At first, he couldn't believe his luck. Present for an operation entirely unrelated, a singular watcher reported that the man was here. In Izumo's capital. He had laughed.  _(Almost as if you were insane)._

He wanted, no, needed to test that his previous encounter wasn't a fluke. He hadn't felt power like that since-

Since…

His vision flashed. A group of four stood at the mouth of a shimmering gateway. Ruins, fresh, stood around them. The surface of a lake glistened above them. The woman's  _(manakete's)_  mouth at the head of the group moved, saying something unheard before turning leading the others through. His view stumbled forward, hand  _(yours?)_  stretched out, before he was stopped. He turned to face-

_The other traitors._

Another shake, another column.

His view resolved back to that of the assassin's. He hadn't seen that immense  _(familiar?)_ power again here, but the man had allies this time, and his own resources were thin in the city. The kitsune had intervened and the woman with red hair, who he'd assumed wouldn't be a threat, had made the last move. It was amazing what strength people found when they was cornered.

Admittedly, it had been rash of him to assume that the assassins would be enough to kill a man who had showed enough power to decimate an army surrounding him. Even so, it didn't matter. He didn't need to kill the man  _(Robin)._ Outside of his kingdom there was no need. The man need only speak its name.

The curse would do the rest.

He shifted the ninja's gaze towards the city center and began to jump across the rooftops towards the castle.

* * *

Anna sunk into a comfortable chair in the safe house and winced, rolling her shoulder as the vulnerary did its work. It wouldn't heal it as wholly or as quickly as a healing staff, but it would do, given the circumstances. She sighed, leaning back into the seat, wishing she could close her eyes, sleep and temporarily forget this ever happened.

"How're you holding up?"

She wearily her eyes to see Kaden leaning against the wall, arms crossed, ears forward, listening. Like her, he had fresh change of clothes and was no longer clutching his side. At her insistence, he had already taken an elixir from the medicine stock, though not before insisting he'd pay her back for it, somehow.

"I-" She took a breath. "I'll be fine. You were hurt worse than I was."

Kaden shook his head. "That's not what I meant. That was the first time you've ever killed someone, wasn't it?"

The fact that she averted her gaze probably said more than any words would. It was also the first real battle she'd ever been in. And she'd felt next to useless. She resolved to never go without her sword anywhere again.

He sighed. "Thought so. If it makes you feel any better, it was clearly in self-defense."

"You know, it really doesn't."

"It's not supposed to. But it was either you or them, and you saved our lives by acting as you did. Take what solace you can from that." He stretched, pushing his arms out in front of him until she heard small cricking noises. "Besides, I got a pretty good taste of them while I was fighting."

"Wait, taste?"

He took a purple stone out of his pocket and tossed it in the air before catching it. "Comes with the territory. Normal people don't taste like corpses. I'm not even sure they were really people." He shuddered. "Probably the second worst thing I've ever had the…pleasure of experiencing."

It felt like an opening to get her mind off of the subject, and Anna took it without hesitating. "Only the second worst?"

Kaden nodded. "Right. There was this one time, when I was in Cheve for a bit, just passing through, really. I'd helped some blonde lady with a bandanna - I'm blanking on her name at the moment - gather some glittering stones from a creek after she helped me out of bind. Pretty sure she said she was going to use them to decorate her axe or something."

He began spinning the purple stone around on his palm. "I just needed directions to Cyrkensia, but she insisted on taking me out for a meal as thanks. It seemed normal enough, but I was so naïve."

Anna's brows furrowed in confusion. "What was it?"

"It was spicy."

She paused, waiting for him to continue, but he didn't. "That's it? Come on, spicy food isn't  _that_  bad."

"Maybe for you, but I passed out! Couldn't smell or taste anything worth beans for weeks afterword."

She couldn't help herself; she snickered. The tenseness she'd been feeling melted away, if only slightly. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Robin walking into the room, shrugging on his tattered cloak over a fresh change of clothes.

He raised a questioning brow at her mirth. "What'd I miss?"

Kaden pocketed the stone. "Just me recounting weeks of unending misery. Death to spicy foods and all that."

Anna burst out laughing. It wasn't  _really_  that funny, but it provided an outlet for her stress. Maybe that was what Kaden was trying to do.

"If you say so." Robin walked over and sat down on the chair across from her and her smile dropped as the atmosphere became tense again. "Kaden, if you could, keep your eyes and ears open, just in case there's another attempt."

An involuntary shudder shot up her spine at the implication. She really didn't think she could handle another life or death situation again so soon.

Kaden looked nervous but his answer was confident. "Got it. We're still good for now."

Robin seemed to sense her unease. "Try not to worry too much, for now. You said this place is warded, correct?"

"Yes. It's standard procedure for any Anna safe house." Before now, she had felt that they were frivolous. Merchants had enemies, certainly. But safe houses, especially with how expensive it was to have someone set up wards, seemed a bit extreme. Right now, however, it felt like it was all that was standing between them and the unseen enemy.

"Good. With any luck, we won't see any more. At least not tonight."

"Is that supposed to make us feel safer?"

"No, it's realistic. In hindsight, what we experienced felt more like an enemy testing your defenses."

"That didn't feel like a test to me!" Kaden protested.

"Maybe not to you. But if we were truly wanted dead, I doubt any of us would be here right now."

Anna paused, brows furrowing in confusion. "So then, why aren't we?"

Robin leaned forward in his chair, lacing his fingers together under his chin eyes, not meeting either of their eyes. "To be honest, I don't know. But I…" He rubbed the back of his right hand. Was that a nervous tic? "If you stay around me, then I can't guarantee your safety."

"What are you going on about?" Kaden asked.

"You could die. You remember earlier, right? How close we came to losing? You should just forget that you ever met me and leav-"

"Forget?" Anna interrupted, feeling anger rising from the pit of her stomach. "How could we possibly forget this? You think that after what we witnessed that Kaden and I could just walk away, pretend that everything is okay while we know that invisible assassins are waltzing around? They tried to kill us just as much as you!"

"Neither of you have ever faced something like this before." He stated it as fact. She didn't know about Kaden, but she could not dispute it. "I have, and I know that if you stick with me, I can't promise that either you won't die."

There was a long moment of silence in the room. No, she didn't want to die. A large part of her that sounded suspiciously like her sisters, yelled at her to take Robin's advice, to continue on, and live out her life as a merchant. But deep down, a smaller part yelled louder, that gut feeling that told her she shouldn't leave this alone.

She spoke up, quietly at first. "Maybe so." She looked Robin firmly in the eyes. "But, I'm willing to accept that risk if I can discover the truth. Something big is going on here, and I can't just leave it."

Robin turned to Kaden. "And you?"

"I agree with Anna. It'll be dangerous, but I'm with you."

"Both of you are fools." He closed his eyes a moment, and Anna was about to retort, before he spoke again, grinning. "But then again, so am I."

He quickly stood up and began pacing back and forth. "Of course, saying that we'll do something is well and good, but we need some kind of plan, and knowledge about the enemy." He paused, looking at the both of them. "What do you know about dragons?"

"Just some of the legends of the Dawn and Dusk dragons blessing the Hoshidan and Nohrian royal families," Anna replied. "I thought they were stupid, remember?" The lunch from earlier today when she'd said that felt like days ago at this point.

"Right." Robin nodded. His hand went up to his chin in contemplation. "There were references to those in the histories I was reading. The book I was trying to get from the castle from the archduke supposedly had a more detailed account on them. You pick up anything on them on your travels, Kaden?"

He shook his head. "I'm in the same boat as her, unfortunately."

"Then I'll give you the short version of what I know. Dragons are extraordinarily powerful beings that can live for thousands of years, if not more. But that power comes with a price. Most will go insane unless they assume a humanoid form, referred to as a manakete, by sealing their power into a dragonstone."

"So it's different than beaststones?" Kaden asked?

"Correct. But even then, that process will generally only slow the degradation. I believe what we're facing is the end result. They call themselves Anankos, the Silent Dragon, and are based in someplace called Valla." Robin winced, bringing a hand to his head.

"You alright?" she asked.

"Just a slight headache. Probably left-over pain from overextending my magic earlier. Anyways, I take it neither of you have heard of the place?"

Anna shrugged. She couldn't ever remember seeing it on any maps she'd looked at.

She glanced at Kaden. He shook his head. "Doesn't sound familiar."

"Figures. Something weird is going on. The geography of that place is too distinctive for people to not at least know about it. Floating isles and lakes would stick out to anyone, and you'd think there would at least be legends or myths about it. Unfortunately, I didn't get a good lay of the land. I was on the run from Anankos' invisible soldiers almost immediately after I woke up there. I didn't last lon-"

He stopped mid-sentence, stumbling, clutching his head again.

"Hey, you alright, Robin?" Kaden asked.

Anna leaned forward, worried as well. "Maybe you should sit back dow-"

Robin shushed her. "Can-" He swallowed. "Can either of you hear that?"

Kaden's ears turned forward. "Hear what?"

The change was so sudden that she didn't even have time to react. One moment Robin was standing, the next he was writhing on the floor screaming.

Anna jumped out of her seat towards him, crouching down, intent on helping, even though she didn't really know what it was that she should do. She put her hand on his shoulder, about to say something. Then she noticed his left arm. His cloak's sleeve had slipped down where he was clutching his head.

She could see right through his arm as if it was disappearing. Just like the soldiers from before.

What in the…?

There was a flash of sickly light. Pain coursed through her from where her right hand contacted Robin. She tried to remove it, but it felt like something was stopping her from moving. The world itself seemed to be slowing to a crawl, her vision blurred.

Distantly she heard more screaming. Was that her?

So much pain, as if she was being ripped apart from the inside out.

The world around her  **shifted**.

And Anna knew no more.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops. Someone should've told him about that.
> 
> I don't actually mind the Valla curse as an idea, but in game it never really presents any sort of real tangible threat. It's just an underutilized and contrived plot device. Here...well.
> 
> Yeah.


	8. Lost

**Chapter 8 - Lost**

* * *

The screams cut off in an instant. One moment Kaden was frozen, listening for whatever Robin was hearing. The next moment he was caught off guard when Robin and then Anna starting screaming. The next, he had pushed off the wall he was leaning against towards Robin and Anna to help, forcing himself past the initial spike of fear, past the instinctual reaction to run, to hide from the wrongness that radiated off of it all.

A glow of sickly light and they were gone, as if they never been there in the first place.

He stopped just short of where they had been. His eyes darted around as he frantically turned this way and that.

"Robin? Anna?" he called.

No response.

There…there had to be some sort explanation for this, right? They couldn't just be gone, right?

He knelt down and hesitantly extended his finger to where he had last seen them, as if they might still be there, just unseen. His finger poked nothing, just continuing on through normal air. He waved a hand through the area. He tasted the air, just to be sure.

Nothing but their lingering scents. No new scent trails leading off elsewhere.

Nothing.

Kaden stood and backed away, slowly. What was this? It felt too sudden, too abrupt, too painful to be something like teleportation. Hadn't he once overheard scholars debating the topic, at how difficult it was to transport an unwilling target, how it was rarely viable in battle? But then, hadn't Anna said that the safe house was warded? Shouldn't that have protected them?

He shook his head. Too many questions, not enough answers to be gained, especially by just standing around. He dashed around the safe house, poking into every room, calling their names.

Nothing.

He slammed open the hidden door to the safe house. A light spring drizzle greeted him as he dashed around the night and tested the air. The rain mixed with the city air would make it difficult to make anything out, washing away their scents.

He went anyways. Even though he was technically still on the run, he went looking for them. The night dragged on and what felt like hours passed.

Nothing.

Fur and clothing sodden with rainwater, he trudged back to the safe house, only to find that the hidden door didn't budge.

Oh, right. Anna had mentioned the ward was keyed to only open from this side for her and her sisters. He had let it shut behind him without thinking. He slumped down, back leaning against the door, which for him may as well have been a wall.

"So, just like that, huh?" he murmured, voice hitching slightly. He growled, then yelled into the late night air, pounding the wall in frustration. No one was around to hear.

_"Neither of you have ever faced something like this before."_

Robin was right. All of them were fools. If this was the sort of thing that this dragon, this,  _Anankos_ , was capable of, then what chance did their fledgling little group ever really have? Was he next? Would he, too, disappear like Robin and Anna?

"Come on then; do it!" He stood and yelled the challenge into the night to the unseen foe. Rain pounded off his ears, dripping down his face.

Nothing.

His frustration turned into a laugh, even though it wasn't even remotely funny, and he started walking aimlessly through the streets. The rainstorm intensified, but he barely noticed. His stomach churned, but he barely noticed. He wanted to run. He wanted to forget, to leave Izumo and never come back.

Eventually, his feet led him to his hidey-hole, the one he found on initially entering the city, and he crawled into the small, forgotten space underneath an abandoned house. Rainwater pooled on one end, but his stored belongings were still dry.

After retrieving his satchel full of his meager belongings, he made his way into the empty house above the space, exchanged his waterlogged clothes for fresh ones from his satchel, and curled up under a cloak where the roof hadn't caved in. Would he be killed as he slept? He couldn't tell.

Assuming he was still alive come morning, as soon as his debt to Nina was repaid, he would leave. He wouldn't be able to forget, but he could sure try; he had a lot of practice.

Exhausted, he fell into a fitful slumber.

* * *

The morning dawned dimly in through the window of the Izumite castle and despite the overcast and wet weather; Leo still flinched at the light, shifting in awkwardly in the unfamiliar seating. Even the dim light was an unsubtle reminder to him of just how late his previous night had been.

"Tired, are we?"

Leo's gaze shifted to the occupant sitting across from him, looking far more comfortable seated on ludicrously frilly cushions at the ridiculously low imported Hoshidan-style table between them. Was he possibly a little bit smug at his discomfort? Or perhaps it was a veiled threat. Either way, it felt petty.

"It won't affect our game if that's what you're asking."

"Quite."

Leo didn't grace that with a response, even as he continued setting up the pieces. None of the remaining soldiers that had come with him were under any sort of illusion. Odin had made sure of that, with his usual...dramatic flair. None seemed to be hiding anything physical either. They seemed entirely unaware of any possible plans, just as confused as he had been. Just soldiers.

Of course, he wasn't naïve; he knew his father, Garon, would have another plan in motion, and though Leo still wouldn't fully trust these soldiers he doubted they would have anything to do with it. It would be through something else. What exactly, he didn't know yet. His father had become hard to read of late.

He finished setting down the last piece. "Have you ever played chess, Prince Takumi?"

The Hoshidan prince nodded. "Once. It's similar enough to shogi."

"Truly? I've tried shogi myself, but it never quite captured my interest."

"Really now? Both are games of strategy. Regardless, I'm quite curious to see how you'll play, Prince Leo."

"As am I," Leo replied, but his eyes narrowed.

There was something in his voice, a tone that hinted at something. Leo glanced about, seeing no one in the room save themselves and two Izumite guards that had metaphorically attached themselves to him this morning, no doubt in retribution for last evening's incident. Despite the archduke's insistence that he was innocent, he didn't blame them for being careful.

When he had stepped out of his room early this morning, Takumi had done the same, dogging his every step like a shadow. But if Takumi wanted to literally 'keep an eye on him', then so be it.

Leo's real pieces, were already in motion. And, he had a feeling Takumi's were as well. Whether it was something of worth had yet to be determined, but Leo trusted his retainers to get the job done.

"Well then," Takumi gestured to Leo's side of the board, "white moves first."

* * *

Rain pattered off of Niles' hooded cloak as he walked swiftly, dodging around puddles and people alike. The last day of the festival was still in motion, despite the downpour. He heard music echoing out of a building as he passed. Shopkeepers and avid performers still carried on in spite of the rain.

In truth, he couldn't care less about the festival. All that wealth being thrown around without even a thought of where it might be coming from. Like every city Niles had been to, Izumo was rotten under its gilded glamour.

Odin, blessedly silent for now, traveled with him as well. Turning around a corner, the scene of last night's disturbance come into view, and Niles stopped a moment when a passing conversation caught his ear.

"Did you hear about the kitsune that went wild and crashed through one of the library windows last night?"

"I heard that he killed the librarian."

"Wait, seriously?"

"Wasn't there a kitsune at one of the shops in the marketplace?"

"Should we go see?"

The group rushed off, no doubt to the marketplace. Niles made a mental note of their exchange; could be useful, but it was always difficult to tell with gossip.

He turned to the library, where a pair of city guards stood out in front. One of them was currently deterring entry to a pair of people in cloaks, hoods drawn up against the rain like his. Denying them entry was understandable, given the circumstances.

The guards out front would make infiltration slightly more difficult, but only slightly. He moved around out of sight to an alleyway near the back of the library, and Odin followed.

"Odin, if you would be so kind?" Niles gestured to the building with a tilt of his head.

"Operation 'speechless?'"

Niles rolled his eye. "So long as it involves a silencing hex, you can call it whatever you like. Just be quiet about it."

Odin nodded, eyes closing in concentration as he began casting. Niles was about to turn away to watch the surroundings when Odin's eyes snapped open, a frown forming.

"Something wrong?" The hex typically took much longer than that, so yes clearly  _something_  was wrong.

"Yes and no. The silencing hex took hold, but it shouldn't have taken hold so quickly…unless there was one recently cast on the same space."

"So our culprits wanted to keep this quiet and either bought or had a dark mage skilled enough to use the hex, at least while the deed was being performed." That likely ruled out a third party with a simple grudge. Mages who could use a hex like that were rare.

"You think it could've been this Spectre group we keep hearing about?" He threw his hand out, clenching it into a fist in front of him. "Once, a band driven by noble intentions; now they fall prey to avarice and lo, darkness consumed their reasoning, driving them to unspeakable deeds."

Niles shook his head. "Hardly. This doesn't have the feel of something that bunch of do-gooders would do, not if they want to lay low and get out of the city. Besides, silencing hexes don't seem like their style."

Odin slumped. "Ah, man. That would've been so cool though."

"Only you would think that. Come, let's not waste any more time standing about. Keep a lookout for me."

"Right."

They treaded towards one of the back windows, and Niles quickly undid the pitiful lock with a quick swipe upwards of his knife. He quietly slipped open the window a crack and peered inside, looking around into the relative darkness. No one there. Nodding in satisfaction, he motioned Odin into the building and followed suit.

Rainwater pooled off of his cloak onto the floor as he lowered the hood. The scene was hard to make out, and he glanced over to Odin, meeting his eyes and nodded. Odin smirked, extending his hand. With a snap of his fingers a small fireball burst to life, and started lazily orbiting about him, casting more light on the scene.

And what a scene it was: chaotic, gruesome. Like a full scale skirmish has taken place. He eyed the fallen shelves which and their spilled contents all over the floor. Books, scrolls, loose paper; possibly the result of a mage using their magic, uncaring of the damage it would do to their surroundings.

He crouched and his hand traced through a pool of nearly dried blood on the floor, rubbing the flecks in between his fingers. It could be where the unfortunate librarian had been slain. Likely, as he was beginning to suspect, as collateral damage, not the true target.

Yes, this definitely was not Spectre's doing, not with no money or fame to be gained. Another party was at play.

Someone in the Izumite underworld with a grudge? Maybe, but if all they wanted was the librarian dead, why trash the surroundings as well? To send some sort of message? No, something from them likely would've been cleaner. At the very least, they wouldn't have just left the body behind.

He turned to Odin, who was examining a large crack in the wooden flooring. His eye traced to slightly further ahead to a hole surrounded by burnt wood. Then to the frame of the door.

While the chaos was scattered throughout the area, by the door the floor was relatively clear in a loose approximation of a semicircle. The origin of a wind spell? He walked up to the doorframe, noting a small bloodstain on the floor nearby. He put his hand on the wood and traced a circle around an incision, just about the right size for a spearhead.

No, there was a fight here. One between two parties: an ambush perhaps? But for who?

He turned, eyeing the surroundings, spotting the wooden planks which covered a broken window, hastily nailed to its frame in an attempted deterrent for both weather and possible looters. Not that there was really anything worth stealing in a library. The real cleanup would begin later after the rain stopped.

The people outside had mentioned a kitsune breaking through the window last night. Assuming it was true, it had been there to help one of the parties no doubt. Though what one was doing in the city was anyone's guess. He crossed his arms, closing his eye.

He was missing something. That he didn't know  _what_  he was missing was making his skin crawl.

* * *

The game continued, and so far it was a silent, tense affair, broken only by the continued pattering of raindrops outside and the clinking of chess pieces on the board. Takumi moved a piece forward, capturing one of Leo's, putting him in check.

Leo put a hand to his chin pondering his next move. He looked up at his opponent and broke the silence. "You know, for supposedly having played this only once, you're surprisingly good."

"I already said it, didn't I? I've played shogi, and chess may as well just be a variation of that. It's simple."

"Are you perhaps, enjoying yourself?"

Takumi let out a scoff. "Hardly; shogi is far more interesting."

Leo didn't grace that with a response. Unless he was mistaken, Takumi was lying; perhaps he was simply too proud to admit he found a game of Nohrian origin enjoyable.

Silence reigned again as Leo made his next move, capturing Takumi's piece that had put him in check. Takumi deliberated a moment before aggressively moving another piece forward. One of the guards let out a small cough, which echoed loudly through the room.

"Why are you here, Prince Leo?"

Leo looked up, surprised at the sudden question. "Didn't I already tell you? The archduke invited me as a guest."

"That's what I don't get: what reason would he have to do that?"

Leo hesitated. Countless options ran through his head: it was something he had plenty of time to ponder on the trip here. Each one more ridiculous sounding than the last. A small part of him wanted to lie, but in this situation, there was little to gain. Instead he simply settled on the truth.

"I don't know."

"And you expect me to believe that?"

"Whether you believe me or not, it is the truth." On an impulse, Leo pulled out his invitation out of a pouch, offering it over the chessboard to Takumi. "Here."

Takumi's eyes narrowed at the proffered piece of ridiculously frilly stationary. "What's this?"

"Simply the invitation I received from the archduke. It's not a trap, I assure you."

Takumi hesitated a moment before carefully accepting the invitation, eyes darting over the words a couple of times.

"Strange," he muttered.

"What is?" Leo asked.

Takumi reached down below the table, assumedly to a pouch or pocket and pulled out an equally frilly invitation.

"Besides the names, it's the same as mine. Ludicrously gaudy and frustratingly…" He paused.

"Vague?" Leo supplied.

Takumi nodded. "My thoughts exactly."

Takumi's eyes darted between the two invitations a moment more before he handed back Leo's invitation, which Leo put away. "Speaking of the archduke, where is he? From his reputation, I would've thought he'd be heading the preparations for that party everyone is going on about, but I haven't seen him anywhere. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

Leo let out a 'humph' as the temporary peace was shattered by the veiled threat. "If I did, you would know about it, tailing me through the morning as you have been." He glared at the Hoshidan prince a moment. "But as it so happens, I've already asked around." By which he meant Niles had already reported it to him via leaving a note in his room before he left it this morning. "Archduke Izana is holed up in his study. Doing what, I have no idea."

"Is that the truth?"

A small cough interrupted them and both of the royalty turned to glare at the Izumite guards. "We can confirm Prince Leo's words. We were told recently by the archduke that any questions you have for him will be answered in the evening at a meeting before the party."

So they kept saying.

The one who didn't speak nodded in confirmation, scratching the back of his neck, shifting slightly in a nervous gesture, perhaps unused to the attention.

"Well, that answers that." Leo stated, a tiny smug smirk playing at the corner of his mouth at Takumi's frustration. "Now then." He moved his bishop.

"Check."

* * *

"Find anything over there?"

Odin interrupted Niles' thoughts, calling from where he had moved to one of the corners of the library.

"No," Niles called back as he moved to join his companion. "At least nothing that would lead us to the ones responsible for the attack, or the ones who they were ambushing. However, I believe we can be fairly sure it wasn't Nohr."

He stepped around a fallen bookshelf to see Odin crouching near an overturned table, in the midst of picking through a few pieces of parchment. Dozens of books were scattered about. A broken lantern lay on the ground nearby, leaking oil onto a map of the continent.

Odin froze, his mouth open slightly, looking at one of the pieces of parchment.

"Something catch your interest?" Niles asked, moving closer.

Odin startled a little, stuffing the parchment in his pouch under the cloak, though not before Niles caught a glimpse of what looked to be a hand drawn map. Not anywhere he recognized.

"Yes, but I don't believe this is the time or place to study it." Odin straightened, brushing gathered grit off of his cloak. "I think we've found all we can find."

Niles' eye followed him as Odin quickly moved back towards the window they had entered from, dispelling the floating fireball with another snap of his fingers. Was there something Odin didn't want him to see? Well, that wouldn't do at all.

For now he could put that off in favor of letting Lord Leo know of their venture, that at the very least, there wasn't another Nohrian ploy in the works. Not in this at least. He resolved to ask Odin about it later. Among other things.

The door handle rattled on its lock and both he and Odin froze as familiar frustrated voices arguing seep in. Takumi's retainers. Were they the ones he had seen outside talking with the guards earlier? He softly clicked his tongue, berating himself for overlooking the detail.

Thankfully, they were a bit late. Drawing up the hood of his cloak, he dashed to the window, slipping out after reopening the shutter, Odin right behind him. They darted back into the rain-soaked alleyways, unseen.

* * *

Twitch.

Something twitched. Was it painful?

Yes, they decided. As it twitched again, they realized it belonged to a hand and flexed stiff fingers, stretching down to an arm filled with pain, which was attached to a body.

Belonged to them? No, belonged to her, she decided.

Who was she?

Joints popped and protested as she shifted, propping her body with her arm, no arms and sat…up? Yes, up. One of the hands, the one not attached to the aching arm, moved to an aching head. And jolted back when it encountered no resistance, moving right through the eyes she meant to rub.

She blinked.

She had eyes.

Her vision resolved to see nothing. It wasn't colorful, light or dark; there was just nothing. The hand that moved through her head itched. She looked down to where she felt it should be and saw memories.

Red hair, finger resting on her chin as she smiled a fake smile. The memory coalesced into her name.

Anna blinked.

She was in a field. She stood. Grass waved lazily at her. She waved back. Smoke and arrows belched out of the grass in response. She stepped forward-

Anna blinked.

-into an empty room. A fox lay on the ground, crying. She moved to ask what was wrong and found she had no voice. Her hand moved to her throat, but stopped when she found that she couldn't see her hand. The fox now lay on the wall in front of her, water seeping through expanding cracks in the wall. She couldn't see herself-

Anna blinked.

-being stabbed repeatedly by a red-eyed woman, surrounded by invisible people like her. Her mind was empty and full of so much noise. The ocean roared.

Anna blinked.

She paused mid-clap, and she looked out of her stall wondering where the customers were. She walked around to the front to find the streets empty. Her dark maroon cloak flapped in the wind.

Anna blinked.

Ah, that was better. The streets were filled with people. Something twinkled on the ground, falling upwards. The back of her head itched. She scratched, before she realized she could see herself. She laughed, and the whole city laughed as one with her in relief.

Anna blinked.

When she looked closer, she realized the people looked like her. All of them looked exactly like her. Annas selling merchandise. Annas shopping. Annas talking. Annas laughing. Annas walking in groups on the streets, on the side of buildings, through walls.

The inside of her head itched. She scratched.

Anna blinked.

She moved to say hello to herself but moved right through with no resistance. Annas played. Annas cried. Gold fell twinkling from the ground into the sky.

Anna blinked.

At once, she couldn't hear anything. She turned to shout to one her passing selves, but she went ignored. She shouted louder and they didn't hear. A throng of Annas moved right through her.

She wasn't there. Swallowed by a crowd of herself.

Anna blinked.

Her foot snagged on nothing and she tripped forwards and fell back. The conversations which she couldn't hear stretched, slowing, as time shifted to a crawl. Above her, another city moved to block out the sun, as thousands on thousands of Annas walked the mirrored streets. Didn't they know they were upside down? Did they even care?

Did she?

He stomach dropped as though she was falling from a great height even though the street was right there. Vertigo set in as she fell.

Into the ground.

She screamed. The noise was immense even as nothing came out. Her throat became raw in the same moment it wasn't. There was nothing to see again.

Anna blinked.

She was standing. The sun beat down coolly overhead into the sand dunes, judging her even as the moon shifted into day. She fell forward to her hands and vomited out the scream from earlier. Sand turned to golden dust to ash. Her shadow stretched out in front of her, but it wasn't her shadow. She turned, standing, unsteady. Nothing was there.

"You're Anna, right?"

Anna blinked.

There was a man in front of her. Did she know him?

Black cloak, purple and gold designs. It looked fresh, unmarred by battle. The six dead eyes stared at her from the sleeves. She backed away fearfully, running into a solid tree that exploded into particles on touch.

"I'm pretty sure you already know me, in a way."

His hair was white.

"Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to help you. Not really."

She found her voice. "Why?"

"I'm already dead, of course."

It was the most obvious thing in the world.

Anna blinked.

She turned towards the graveyard. Bones stuck out of the ground. Her bones? "Then, am I dead as well?"

He shook his head and the world shook with it. "No."

Anna blinked.

She paused, chopsticks frozen in the midst of bringing a clump of rice to her mouth. The fox sat across from her a moment, before she sat across from no one.

Anna blinked.

The mirror in front of her showed her reflection. Her irises were red. She reached out, and the reflection which was and wasn't hers reached out as well to hold her hand.

"We need to get out of here." It was and wasn't the man from before; the voice was the same.

Anna blinked.

She was on the other side of the mirror looking back at herself. Six eyes looked up at her from her right hand, whispering.

"Do you know where we are?" she asked.

She let go of the reflection's hand, and the mirror shattered. Even though it was broken, she could make out her tattered black cloak, purple and gold designs; her own white hair.

The eyes on her hand began glowing with a sickly light. "I'm afraid not. But we have to get back to Izumo. We were going to stop a mad dragon, remember?"

"How do we do that?"

"Do you trust me?"

She nodded.

The inside of her head began to itch. She scratched with the hand with six eyes, even as they protested. Her head burned, her hand burned and she burned.

Anna blinked, and the world  **shifted**.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Odin finds those notes Robin forgot to pick back up and it continues to really not be Anna's day. 
> 
> Nothing weird going on there.
> 
> Nope.


	9. Infiltration: Questions Without Answers

**Chapter 9 - Infiltration: Questions Without Answers**

* * *

Kaden hated barrels.

The rain had stopped as the last afternoon of the Festival of Spring wore on, and Kaden knew that shops owners and festivalgoers would be back outside in earnest. The sky would be clearing, even though the remaining humidity would be making the day muggy, or at least as much as it could be in the cool, early spring air.

At least, he assumed that's what would be happening if he could see it.

Kaden shuffled awkwardly in his cramped space as the wagon jolted from either a bump or a pothole on the cobblestone street. Just enough light seeped through the seams of the barrel that with his keen eyes, he could make out the relatively tiny space. Although he hadn't been in here long, his legs were already aching from his crouched position. The smell of damp oak wood was occasionally usurped by the smell of apples and other raw ingredients in the cart, mixed with the regular smells of a city.

No, he decided. It wasn't really barrels. He hated cramped spaces.

If he wasn't in the midst of infiltration, he would've called up to the wagon driver, one of the members of Spectre – Teresa, if he was remembering correctly – and asked her to drive more carefully. Though, he supposed rushing for a rush delivery  _was_  sort of the point.

"Halt." The voice that called out was male and sounded dispassionate; almost certainly a guard.

The rumbling of the cart and the clopping of horseshoes ceased as the cart came to a stop. This should be the checkpoint that ran into the back entrance of the castle, where deliveries of supplies - like the cart he was hidden on - would go through. Kaden shifted to make his profile smaller, ears flattening against his head. Probably unnecessary, but it made him feel better.

"State your business."

"Here with the rush delivery the castle kitchens asked for." Teresa's tone was relatively professional, imitating someone who had been through the motions of a checkpoint many times. Kaden wouldn't really be surprised if she had done it before. Being a thief wasn't a profession people usually turned to readily.

"You have the shipment manifest?"

"Yeah, just gimme a second." There was the sound of rustling as Teresa assumedly reached for the document. "Right here, soldier boy."

"Very well." A pause. "Check the back."

"You really have to do that? You're keeping the nice people inside waiting." Kaden winced at the attempted levity. Did she have to sound so annoyed? They were trying to remain inconspicuous, not draw any unnecessary attention to themselves.

Then again, maybe she was trying to use the rushed and annoyed deliverer angle, to play to her supposed job. Suppliers would probably get a lot of business this way during the festival after all. Being overworked would be common.

"Standard procedure. You should know this."

Kaden caught her mumble, "Doesn't make it any less obnoxious," as the jangle of ring mail signaled the guard coming closer. The shuffling of rope followed by the whoosh of the canvas covering the delivery being taken off signaled the beginning of the inspection.

He felt the wagon dip slightly as one of the guards got on, assumedly to inspect the cargo closer. The first guard started listing off the contents of the shipment while another affirmed that each piece was there.

It went on for a minute or so before they came to "- four barrels full of apples." There was a pause. "Why barrels?"

"Rush orders don't give you much time to pick and choose your containers, soldier boy, especially during busy times of the year like these."

There was a disinterested grunt as he answered, "If you say so," before the clomping sound of boots came to rest right beside Kaden's hiding place.

Kaden tensed reflexively. Even though he'd done something similar before in a different heist, he was  _in_  one of those barrels currently. Above him, he heard the lid of the barrel twist. His heart pounded loudly in his ears, making his tail twitch involuntarily. A nearly unnoticeable influx of light entered into his hiding place.

A second or two passed…

Before the lid was unceremoniously placed back down. By the sound of it, the other three barrels were given a similar treatment.

He breathed a quiet sigh of relief, and glanced up at the false bottom of the barrel above him, not daring to move before he heard the rest of the inspection finish and felt the cart begin to move again, sloping gently downward after he heard the sound of a metal gate being cranked open. There really hadn't been much of a reason to worry about getting caught here, yet after last night's disaster, he felt anyone would be justified for being on edge.

To be honest, Kaden had half expected to wake up dead this morning, though maybe that was overreacting. After all, he knew next to nothing about Anankos, or how the apparently mad dragon – and it still felt weird to even acknowledge  _that_  myth's existence – operated.

It was unnerving, and kept him alert, but stressed. It was a small solace that he knew the scent of those invisible soldiers. Sure, there hadn't been a whiff of them all morning, but that just put him more on edge.

Then again, they had only really seemed interested in killing Robin, or whatever it was that happened to him and Anna at her supposed safe-house. Maybe he'd slipped under the dragon's view as unimportant? No, that seemed unlikely. More likely, something else was going on, but he really didn't want to know. He shoved the thought down.

_Don't think about it. Focus on the now._

The clopping of horseshoes and creaking of the wheels of the wagon began to echo, likely in an enclosed area for a moment before they stopped entirely. The air had shifted, becoming less humid. He felt the wagon dip slightly as he heard Teresa get down.

"You're here with the rush delivery for the kitchens, right?" The voice was female, sounding slightly exasperated.

"Yup. That'd be the case."

"Oh, thank the gods you made it so soon. It's been one disaster after another in the kitchens today. Being short on supplies is the least of our worries, but I'm glad at least that you're here with the shipment on time."

"Happy to help. You can have your crew start unloading the cart now."

Footsteps followed by the wagon dipping again marked the start of it. The fact that castle kitchens just happened to be in need of extra supplies and that they just happened to be out of the ingredients currently being offloaded from the cart?

It wasn't a coincidence.

Kaden shook his head. All of the behind the scenes work being done for this one heist was baffling to him. Then again, the promise of enough coin would be enough for most humans to do anything, so maybe it shouldn't have been all that surprising.

"By the way," Teresa started speaking again, "out of curiosity, these 'disasters' in the kitchens wouldn't be somewhat related to why the checkpoint guards were ridiculously thorough with their inspection today?"

"I couldn't say if that's the case or not, but well, everyone's a little on edge with the Nohrian and Hoshidan royals here." She seemed to hesitate, before going on in a whisper. "I heard some of the people from the Nohrian group tried to assassinate the archduke during his most recent divining ritual."

"You don't say?" It wasn't new information as it somewhat matched some the intel Spectre had gone over earlier in the morning. Despite how it sounded, it could make Nina's job easier. They'd be more focused on watching the royals and the party. With luck and maybe a little 'persuasion' here and there if necessary, things would go smoothly. "Well you be careful then."

"I will, but you shouldn't worry. He may be a bit eccentric, but the archduke has the best interests of Izumo at heart. We'll be fine, I'm sure."

If the conversation continued, the rest was lost on Kaden as his world tipped. He heard the grunting of someone lifting his barrel. It shook as it landed. He braced himself against the interior of the barrel as it was turned on its side – he was very glad he had only had a light meal beforehand – and began to be rolled away.

Though it couldn't have been more than a minute – it felt like much longer when your world was spinning – eventually the wheeling of his barrel had ceased and it was upright again. They must have already carried him into the cellar. A few more minutes and the sounds of people ceased, cut off by the sound of a trapdoor shutting.

Part one of the infiltration done.

The light filtering through now would be too dim for most to make anything out, but he could still make out the edges of his enclosure. With a sigh, he began the hardest part.

Waiting.

* * *

It didn't make any sense.

Odin stared down at the parchment lying innocuously on the writing desk in front of him, as though glaring at it hard enough would actually divulge its secrets. The initial shock of seeing it had long since worn off, but the confusion as to why a hand-drawn map of the continents of Archanea, Valm and Jugdral was here in the first place was still rising.

He'd spent more than three years scouring every book that he could get his hands on searching for information about the dragons of this world. At this point, he was sure that he knew more about them than he did about the ones in his own world. Of course, he'd never really ever had the time to study the dragons of his home world in the first place. Spending your life in a war would deprive anyone of time to do that.

The First Dragons. Precious little information that wasn't immersed in heavy religious undertones and tribal lore was difficult to come by. Even then, when it wasn't the Dawn and Dusk Dragons, the information he had available was slim to none. Especially when it came to Anankos, the only one that he really  _needed_  information on.

The only really solid lead he came up with was the cult, - aptly named 'Silence' - a fanatical religious group that at one point revered the Silent Dragon before seeming to blip out of existence. He had an inkling of why, yet even then, its existence was only in passing mentions. Of the few scholars and historians that mentioned it, most seemed content to simply agree that it had existed.

On Valla, however, there was nothing. Not even an offhand reference. His current running theory was that all of the information on it was cursed somehow, just like its name. He had no proof, sure, but it was all he had at the moment.

And, of course, he was still unsure of what the endgame of Anankos was in the first place. He originally assumed that it was similar to Grima, that he just wanted to facilitate the destruction of the world. However, there had been a decidedly large lack of world destruction by the designs of a mad dragon occurring since he'd arrived.

He glanced down again at the map, noting the hasty lines. Whoever had sketched it was definitely not an artist; saying it was a rough sketch was an understatement. Nevertheless, the shape and of course the labels on it were instantly recognizable to him.

Why had a map of his home suddenly showed up out of the blue? Information on the Silent Dragon was hard to find, sure, but as he had proved, not impossible. However, this map  _should_  be impossible. Only three people should have knowledge of his world in the first place. Laslow, Selena and himself.

Odin frowned. And Anankos, considering it was he who had brought them here in the first place. But then, how did Anankos find out about Archanea in the first place? How had the artist of the map? Was the artist from his world? But then, if that was the case, how did they get here? It hardly seemed like Anankos would've done it. Why were they attacked? Were they attacked?

He tapped his finger lightly under a note, scribbled in a messy scrawl on the corner of the map. The only insight into the mind of its creator.

_No geographical overlapping when comparing this to local continental maps. A different, unknown continent or something else?_

Ugh! Everything was so frustratingly  _vague._

He banged his head on the desk in frustration. This was going nowhere.

"If you're done, we need to have a chat, Odin."

Odin heart jumped, and he reflexively stood, falling back into a Feroxi sword stance towards the speaker. Niles simply leaned nonchalantly against the wall adjacent the door, arms crossed, smirking.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Odin asked, straightening. His voice betrayed some of the frustration he felt.

"No."

Odin forced himself to relax, physically at least, and set the chair he'd knocked over back up. How long had Niles been standing there? Drat. He'd expected him to ask questions, what with how he'd panicked on seeing the map, but he'd hoped he would've at least waited longer.

He bit back a retort. "I assume you're here to heap questions onto me again?"

Niles' smirk turned predatory. "You know me so well. Are you going to try to be evasive like you normally are, or will you consider talking straight with me again?"

"What do you mean?"

"Can you really hide behind fancy words and vague misleading statements after how open you were yesterday, before we were so rudely interrupted?"

"Interrupted? That's putting it mildly." Maybe being dismissive would help. He'd talked too much the other day. Odin gestured to the parchment on the writing desk. "It's just a badly drawn map, Niles. I don't think it's even one of a real place."

The last part was a lie of course. He, Selena and Laslow had agreed never to speak of their homeland shortly after arriving in Nohr. Doing so would just lead to unanswerable questions. Not for the first time, he blamed that stupid curse.

Niles sidled up to him, eye flicking over it. "So you say. But if that was the case, why even try to hide it in the first place, only to freely show it to me now?"

"Wouldn't you just have nicked it while I wasn't looking anyways?" Niles made no response, simply staring pointedly at him. It was slightly unnerving. "I thought it looked familiar, that's all. No need to make such a big deal out of it."

Niles stepped forward, eye narrowing. "Don't lie to me, Odin. No one reacts like you did to a  _map_ unless it was important somehow. What does it mean to you?" He paused, thoughtful. "Unless, no. Could it be that it's where you're from?"

He wanted to deny it. There was no point, no good reason for Odin to tell him the truth, but that look Niles was giving him made him squirm internally. But his hesitation probably gave him away.

Niles chuckled, pressing onward. "I'm right aren't I? But it does make me wonder, why is it you refuse to tell anyone where you come from? Do you hate your homeland?"

No, it was more like he didn't want to tell anyone that the way he came to this world was through the fragment of a mad dragon. Said fragment then proceeded to give him and his two companions his blood ostensibly to give them greater power to help them fight off invisible soldiers. Then after a losing battle, headed by that blue and red haired young woman, transported them from said place – that had floating islands – that you couldn't talk about outside of it because of a curse, to the middle of nowhere in Nohr.

Even just thinking about it sounded ridiculous, even when he didn't account for the curse.

He turned to face Niles. "Why are you bringing this up again now, Niles? I thought you'd accepted that I don't want to talk about it years ago."

"Because something funny is going on, something that feels like it could harm Lord Leo. It's an instinct. The way Izana looked at you, the way he said the things he did, it the same as that look in your eyes right now, the same way you often speak, like both of you are holding back something critical."

Izana. Of course. Why had Izana drawn attention to him like that? Or maybe, he should be asking why he couldn't have kept his curious mouth shut in the first place.

Odin sighed. "And if you knew this supposedly critical information, would that satisfy you?"

"Nothing would ever satisfy me."

He pointedly ignored the double entendre. "Some things," he turned away and put on what he hoped was his best brooding face, "are best left buried in the past. Let it go Niles."

A misdirection. Something he had become adept at ever since arriving here. It was rare that anyone looked past the quirky dark mage persona. Instead, let Niles think it was some sort of troubled past he didn't want to speak of. Throw him off track from the truth, the one that could kill him.

There was a contemplative look in Niles' eye, before he, amazingly, backed off. "Very well. You've made your point."

Odin blinked, surprised, before Niles' look turned sour. "But if any of this," he gestured to the map, "ever comes back to harm Lord Leo, I will personally make you regret ever setting foot in his presence."

The vehemence in his voice almost made Odin shudder. Almost. He still swallowed nervously. "I-I uh, wouldn't have it any other way."

Niles straightened, his normal, predatory smile easing back onto his face. "Good. So long as we're clear." He turned, walking back to the door, before he paused. "Believe it or not, I didn't come here  _just_  to antagonize you."

"Oh, really?" Could've fooled him.

"The meeting with our illustrious host will be starting up soon. Best that you don't miss out on it, Odin." The door shut behind him softly.

Odin breathed a sigh of relief at Niles' departure, but it quickly turned back into anticipation. Why did the archduke want to meet with them? From the way he had spoken before, it didn't seem like it would be a simple call for trade between Nohr and Izumo, as Lord Leo had surmised on their trip here.

So what then? He sighed, standing. If the interaction from yesterday were anything to go by, at least it wouldn't be dull. But would it be good? Or had the archduke somehow stumbled upon something? Only one way to find out for sure.

* * *

Kaden was about to hoist himself out of the barrel, when the door to the cellar's trapdoor creaked slightly before it opened, lights and smells from the kitchens above spilling into the chilly room. He quickly replaced the lid, but didn't twist it, and crouched back down into that infernal barrel among the apples, collapsible false bottom digging into his leg.

He breathed in. It wasn't the distinctive scent of Anankos' soldiers. A small relief.

The footsteps came closer, before stopping beside his barrel. His heart pumped loudly in his ears as he tensed, prepared to knock the person out. Hopefully it wouldn't draw attention. He didn't want to do that just yet. The lid popped off.

"Well, lookee what we have here."

Nina's grinning face met his as Kaden blinked, his muscles relaxing slightly. "Nina?" What was she doing here? Wasn't she supposed to be somewhere else at the moment?

"Expecting someone else?" she asked quietly, extending her hand.

Kaden looked at it a moment before shaking his head, accepting her help to heave him out of the barrel. "What are you doing here?" he hissed. "I was ready to knock you out." He stretched his back, earning satisfying little popping noises. "Couldn't you have at least said something, or, I dunno, knocked on the side of the barrel?"

"Probably, but this was way more fun."

He paused mid-stretch. Fun? Normally, she wasn't so brazen on their heists. Whatever. That was beside the point. "Weren't you supposed to be in position around the archduke's study?"

"I think being in that barrel knocked your sense of time out of whack. You were taking too long. "

"The barrel was your idea," he pointed out.

"You would've been too conspicuous sneaking in otherwise." She started heading back up the wooden stairs, and he followed after she turned back, cocking an eyebrow, clearly expecting him to follow.

He sighed, and started following her quietly up the stairs. "And you're not?"

"I'm the master thief here." He supposed that her confidence wasn't entirely unjustified. She would've long since been jailed or killed otherwise. "Regardless, I've already scoped out the outside of the study, so I've still got time to spare to help you into position."

Was she being condescending or was she trying to be helpful? "Until the feast starts, right?"

Nina nodded, silently closing the trapdoor behind them. "Yup. The majority of their attention is going to be focused there. Perfect time to strike, get the goods and be on our merry way before they even  _think_  to think they've been robbed. You remember your role, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. Play the lookout, warn you with this," he briefly pulled out a small stone, one that was paired with a duplicate one Nina had, waggling it a bit for emphasis before pocketing it, "of anyone approaching, and cause of a distraction in case we need one to help you escape. Why do you feel the need to go over this again?"

She set a hand on her hip, flipping one of her braids with the other hand. "Oh, so you  _were_  paying attention? You were moping so hard while we went over the details earlier, you'll forgive me if I thought you weren't paying attention."

_Don't think about it._

"I could hear just fine." His right ear flicked in annoyance. "I'm not deaf."

"No, you wouldn't be. But you are…" She stopped, gave a signal and they both ducked behind a couple of crates. One of the cooks, or maybe a servant, went by their impromptu hiding spot towards the cellar they just came from, muttering irritably about something. Once he opened the trapdoor and was down the stairs, both of them quickly moved on, cutting through a corridor adjacent to the kitchens.

"You're… irritated? No, more jumpy than usual. Something to do with whatever made you crash through that library window last night?"

"How'd you hear about that?"

"Well, if you believe some of the rumors, Spectre is the ones who did it. But c'mon, the whole city knows about it, Kaden. What you did wasn't exactly discreet. Not to mention Specs was there and saw the whole thing."

Kaden frowned. "Specs? Isn't his name-"

She cut him off. "No, his name is definitely Specs."

Kaden rolled his eyes, deciding it wasn't a point worth arguing. "Alright, sure have it your way. Sorry if it caused you any trouble."

"Phpt. If Spectre couldn't handle a little slander we wouldn't have lasted a week. Besides, you're dodging the issue."

Kaden stayed silent. He couldn't tell her, not the real reason. There was no point.

Nina paused, ear to the door that lead outside, before cracking it open. "Hear anything?" She whispered.

Kaden's ears flicked forward, listening, before he shook his head. The door led outside to where the kitchens dumped their waste, and both of them carefully slipped out past the containers piled with compost in different stages of rotting in the relative darkness of the castle grounds. He swatted at a fly that buzzed too close to one of his ears. Nasty little creatures.

They continued through the cool night air, slowly working their way around the patrols on the castle grounds. Though it had stopped raining, the sky was still overcast, blocking out the moon's light. Eventually they stopped underneath a stone balcony, a rope hanging tied to it above.

The result of Nina's earlier 'scoping' no doubt. She was originally going to simply leave it here for him. Their dark clothing would make it difficult to spot either of them, especially with the guards huddling close to their lanterns, destroying their night vision. The night and the large trees surrounding would hide them from the rest of the casual observers.

Nina tested the rope a moment, before turning to him. "Did it have something to do with those new friends of yours? The library window, I mean. It was one of those red-haired merchant sisters and the guy with the stupid looking cloak, right?"

_Don't think about it. Acknowledging it will make it harder to forget._

But… he supposed it would be better for Nina to hear it straight from the source than a rumor mill. Just keep it vague. "Yeah, they were in trouble, so I helped them out."

"Against whoever killed that librarian?"

"Yeah."

"And you weren't the one who killed him, right?"

"No." His answer came out forcefully, and a little louder than he intended. He glanced around, but no one came running.

Nina studied his face intently, a frown growing, eyes narrowed. His tail twitched under the cloak involuntarily at the scrutiny. A long silence passed between them, before finally she backed off, shaking her head. The corners of her mouth quirked up.

"Sheesh, you're so uptight about this. Relax, I can tell you're not the kind of person who would off someone just for the fun of it. Still, busting through a window like that?" She let out a soft chuckle. "You attract way too much attention to be a real thief."

"Good thing I'm the distraction, and not the 'master thief' then, yeah?"

"Flattery will get you nowhere, you know." Nina jumped and began shimmying up the rope. A minute or so later after she clambered up to the top, he followed, pulling up the rope and coiling it out of sight, as a precaution.

The room adjacent to the balcony was vacant, of course – Spectre had scoped it out earlier – and from the look of the windows near it, the hallways were as well. Even so, he crept across the lush, extravagant rug to Nina, who had her ear to the door, listening, and stopped a bit behind her.

Something about this heist was bugging him. Spectre told him none of the details of what they were stealing, just what his role in it was, which in and of itself was odd. Sure, he  _was_  basically just a long term hired hand – assuming you counted repaying a favor as currency – so maybe it wasn't his place to ask. But, it still didn't tell him why Nina was so set on this.

"Why are you so intent on doing this, anyways?"

"Huh?" She turned to him, confused. "What do you mean?"

Kaden gestured around to the room. "Why raid a castle? From the archduke even? I mean, there has to be dozens of easier marks, even just in the capital alone."

"Hmm." She tapped her finger to her lips, as if contemplating the answer. "How do I put it?" She grinned. "I just really wanted the challenge."

"…That's it?"

The grin slipped off her face and she waved her hand in a dismissive manner. "Not everything needs to be complicated, Kaden." She jerked her head to the side, indicating the door. "Hallway clear to your ears too?"

He listened a long moment before nodding. Nina carefully eased the door open anyways, double-checking. They made their way out into the dark, unlit hallway. This part was currently unused: no sense wasting lanterns on it if no one was there. Quickly but quietly, they darted down the corridor, stopping at the end where light shone around the corner.

Nina took a quick peek around the corner, before ducking back, raising two fingers. Two guards. Kaden raised a questioning eyebrow, and she replied with a thumbs up, before pointing to him and then gesturing to his spot. Kaden nodded, which she returned, disappearing down the corridor they just came.

He let out a breath, and carefully snuck a quick look at the two soldiers with spears guarding the door to the study. One of them let out a yawn, stifling it with his hand.

Was she lying about her reasoning for stealing from the archduke? If so, why?

Should he care?

He shook his head. No.

_Don't think about it._

* * *

The archduke was late.

The small meeting room was furnished sparsely, a stark contrast to the rest of the opulence and frivolity of the castle Niles had seen. There were only three low Izumite styled tables, two of which were arrayed in a 'v' shape, each with three cushions to sit on. The other table in front of them had only one for the archduke, whenever he deigned to show up.

He had little to occupy the time, so he took to people watching.

He was seated – if you could call kneeling sitting - at the table on the right, to the left of Lord Leo, who was as poised as one could be kneeling as such, but betrayed annoyance. Likely at the tardiness of Izana.

To Lord Leo's right sat Odin. Out of all of them, he looked the most worried. Had he really been that shaken up by their earlier conversation? Perhaps he should have waited until after this, but he couldn't resist.

However, for now he would stop asking questions directly, as the straight up intimidation tactic approach failed to get all of those juicy secrets out. He would simply take a quieter approach to it. It wouldn't do for Odin to be distracted when a moment came to protect Lord Leo.

Even so, his forceful prodding had revealed something interesting. He'd taken a shot in the dark, guessing that the map was of Odin's unknown homeland. He hadn't actually expected it to be true. But of course, at the moment, there were more pressing matters to worry about than prying into Odin's secrets.

To his left, closest to him, the blue-haired woman, Oboro, glared. Such a delightfully sinister looking glare. Normally he would have to actually  _do_  something to get a glare like that coming his way. Niles kept his mouth shut, but sent a simple smirk her way, and the glare intensified before she pointedly looked away. It was just too easy, and the victory felt hollow because of it.

The brown-haired retainer, Hinata, seemed anxious about being in the room with them, and kept glancing their way, finger tapping quickly on the table. His posture was slumped as if he was bored, but Niles could tell it was an act, at least partially.

Kneeling between his retainers, the Hoshidan Prince looked surprisingly calm, eyes currently closed. The hostility from earlier wasn't gone, if his tense stance and clenched fists were anything to go by. Of course, it was possible that he simply wanted this to be over with as much as he did.

All of them wanted answers, and they were all willing to suffer the presence of a rival nation to get them.

The door finally slid open, and the archduke stepped through.

He was smiling, but there were subtle tells on his face showing how exhausted he was if you looked closely enough. "I'd apologize for being late, but it couldn't start without me anyways. So in a way, that means I'm right on time!"

No one in the said anything in response as Izana whispered something to one of the guards before he dismissed them. Interesting.

So, the archduke intended to keep this meeting confidential and felt he didn't need guards. Sure, their weapons were being held in a secure place, but it seemed arrogant. Regardless, Niles didn't trust him, even if he had exonerated Lord Leo from Zola's attempted coup, there was something about him that set his instincts off.

The archduke plopped down, kneeling onto to the cushion at the head of the table in front. "Now, unfortunately, our time will be fairly short. However, let me start by answering a question I'm sure that's been bugging you: why did I invite all of you here?"

Takumi spoke up. "What I don't understand is why you left out that a royal from Nohr was invited as well."

The archduke smiled. A knowing smile. Was he being condescending? "Would you have come, knowing your self-proclaimed greatest enemies were due to arrive at the same time?"

"Hold on," Lord Leo interjected, "they arrived four days later than-"

"We were delayed," Takumi cut him off. "One of the villages we stayed at on our way here was attacked by Faceless." He looked pointedly at Lord Leo, eyes narrowed.

"I had nothing to with it personally."

"Let's not devolve into bickering so soon, yes? Though I suppose it does lead in nicely to the reason I invited you here." There was a subtle shift in the archduke's posture, and the tone of his voice. "The issue at hand is greater than that of century spanning border squabbles."

Is that what he thought of an age long war? No, Niles didn't really care, but that seemed calloused even to him.

Izana raised a hand for silence as Lord Leo was about to object. "Have any of you ever wondered why Hoshido and Nohr have always been so divided? That no matter what actions are taken, even when peace seems close, war rears its ugly head again?"

Niles almost snorted. The answer to that was simple: humans were horrible creatures that never learned from their mistakes, and the nobles in power had egos the size of continents.

"What if I told you something was pulling the strings?"

Takumi scoffed. "You expect us to just believe that?"

"We would need proof," Lord Leo stated simply.

"Well then," Izana leaned in, almost conspiratorially. "What do you know about Dragons?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first chapter without Robin or Anna in it. The world moves on without them? *gasp*
> 
> As a side-note, small edits have been made throughout the previous chapters. Mostly just grammar cleanup that made me happy. (If you're reading this after August of 2018 then you can ignore this since you already read the corrected version.)
> 
> Of note though: In ch. 8, the six eyes were protesting as Anna scratched the inside of her head. It's an important distinction, and maybe it'll help clear up a tiny bit of confusion. Or maybe not.


	10. Voices of the Gods

**Chapter 10 – Voices of the Gods**

* * *

_ithurtssoMuchpain_

* * *

Leo had come into this meeting expecting talk of trade, or maybe an ill-founded plea for peace between the nations. But what the archduke was spouting was…

"Ridiculous."

Leo found himself nodding at Takumi's statement. "Yes. If this is your idea of a jest, archduke-"

"Just Izana, please. I've already said so."

"…Izana," Leo sucked in a stabilizing breath, "then it is in poor taste."

The Hoshidan prince crossed his arms. "Much as I loath to admit it, I…  _agree_ with Prince Leo. The whole thing sounds like a fairy tale designed to scare young children. 'Play nicely or the Silent dragon will break out of its seal to eat you,' or some other such nonsense."

Izana raised an eyebrow, and one of the corners of his mouth was quirked up. Had he found that amusing? "The truth is often more simple than any of us like to imagine. Even fairy tales have a disturbing amount of truth to them, you know."

The blue-haired Hoshidan retainer – Niles had said her name was Oboro – leaned in. "Even so, we need more proof than just your word, or even the 'word of the gods' as you put it, to go by."

Izana gestured with his hand in an exasperated manner. "Then search. Waste your time looking for evidence, even though what I've given you  _is_ the truth. But while you flit about searching for your precious proof, the Silent Dragon rages against its slipping seal. Take too long and it will be too little, too late for the world. If any history remains afterword, they will blame the royals who refused to get off their butts to act before it was too late."

Leo gritted his teeth. "Ignoring the fact that you are blatantly insulting us, Izana, you realize are asking us to unite with our sworn enemies and mobilize to war for a threat no one has ever heard of."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that no one has ever heard of it." Izana cocked his head to the side. "Or, are you calling me a nobody?"

Leo furrowed his brow. "What? No, that's not what I-"

Izana held up a placating hand. "That one  _was_  a joke, Prince Leo."

Leo pressed his lips into a thin line, and his eye twitched involuntarily. "Fine, but if this Silent Dragon is as big a threat as you say, then why have you not been actively working to prevent its release or destroy it? Why haven't we heard anything of it?"

"Because," Izana answered quickly, "I was only recently informed of the danger, and almost immediately sent for you all soon after."

The brown-haired retainer, Hinata, spoke up. "But why us? I mean, why not the King and Queen of our kingdoms? Wouldn't they be able to handle something like this better than we could?"

"I think all of you are aware that neither would have risked coming here, especially not together. No, out of all the royals in both Hoshido and Nohr, I believe you and your retainers are the best equipped to deal with this threat. To unite your nations against it. Even so, there  _are_  others who are aware of this menace."

"And who would that be?" Takumi asked.

"Unfortunately, the gods were stingy on the details-"

Leo heard Niles scoff and silently agreed. It seemed too convenient.

"- however," Izana pressed on, "I believe they meant for both of you to ask the leaders of your respective nations. They will likely know something of this."

Leo saw Takumi frown, confused. "If you only found out about this from the gods directly telling you, what makes you think they would know?"

"Call it a," he spun a hand around in the air, as if searching for the right word, "hunch."

More like he was pulling things out of thin air.

"However, regardless of what you think, the gods were adamant that Hoshido and Nohr stand no chance against the might of a mad dragon unless you unite your efforts." The archduke turned towards the Nohrian side of the room. "You would know all about the need for unity in fighting a threat like this, having already fought something similar in your home…land outside of Nohr, correct, Odin?"

Everyone turned their attention towards his dark mage retainer, who, now that Leo thought about it, had been oddly silent during this whole affair. He would have figured talk of mythical figures, fake or otherwise, would have him excited. He didn't seem as surprised at the sudden attention as Leo would have thought.

Odin shifted on his seat, before nodding carefully. "Well, uh, yes. It's true. But, how do you know that?"

Niles spoke up. Oddly, his expression looked thoughtful, not the scowl Leo would have expected. "I'd wager it's the same source for everything else: the 'gods,' right?"

Izana smiled. "You catch on quick. As all of you are acutely aware, I was recently in communication with the gods."

"During your divining ritual, you mean?" Takumi asked.

The one that had lasted nearly four days. How could they forget about that?

Izana shrugged. "Call it what you whatever you want. First, it was with one I had never spoken with before. Normally the gods are quite cryptic, but to my surprise, she was very talkative. We chatted about lots of things. I would go into more detail, but time is short. However, she was very insistent that I stress at least this one thing. A warning."

Leo noticed that the archduke glanced at Odin again. Something to do with this threat Odin had faced?

"She asked me to warn you that her sworn enemy, whom she thought destroyed, had recently arrived in this land by means unknown to her. She called them the Fell Dragon, Grima."

* * *

_everYthingfeelswroNgsowrong_

* * *

Everything was going smoothly.

Nina had expected a heist into a castle in the capital of a nation to be much rougher than this. Yes, she had prepared extensively for months: scouting infiltration routes without drawing suspicion, securing guard patrol routes and how they changed, deciding the best day to do it and getting the right people in the right place.

She had the help of very capable individuals, even if not everyone understood why she wanted to go through with this heist.

She sighed. Kaden was obviously shaken up about something. After this was done, she should ask what was on his mind. But the rest of them were fine enough. Anxious, though not without good reason.

Regardless, everyone was in place. No one had spotted them or seemed any bit the wiser that they were about to have something stolen from under their noses.

Everything was going smoothly, and that's exactly why she felt so uneasy.

That was the problem with thieving. You couldn't really tell if you were succeeding or not until you were far, far away from the scene, behind bars or dead. Right now, it felt like she was practically prancing around the castle while no one noticed. That might be a good thing, but it might not be. Sure, at this point, there was no point in looking back, but even so, something in the air was putting her on edge

The sound of approaching footsteps put pulled her out of her thoughts. She breathed in. She didn't want this to go wrong, so for now, she needed to focus.

She breathed out, shoving down Nina, the shy, strange girl who enjoyed reading and…people watching, and replaced her once again with the confident young woman leading a band of noble thieves.

A beefy, well-built helmeted guard stopped just in sight of her hiding spot. He sneezed, and almost imperceptively rapped the butt of his spear on the floor three times, before moving onwards toward the archduke's study.

She smirked. Right on time.

She waited a moment, then slipped out from behind the cracked open door, and slinked to the end of the hallway, loosely following the path of the guard. At the corner, she crouched down and carefully peered out.

The guard that had passed by her was chatting amicably with the two at the door. Laughter echoed in the corridor at some joke she couldn't hear, before one of the guards at the door left and was replaced by the one that had just passed her by. All the looks of a simple shift change.

She leaned back in, and started counting her heartbeats. One-hundred and twenty later, she stood and stepped out around the corridor into plain sight.

"Who's there? This area is off limits."

She kept walking silently forward, unperturbed by his words. Understandably, the guard leveled his spear at her, moving forward. Intimidation, nothing else. He didn't want to kill her just as much as she didn't want to kill him. She kept walking.

"Stand down, girl. Move any closer and I will be forced to-"

He was completely unprepared when the other door guard wrapped his arm around his neck, wrestling him to the floor in a chokehold. Eight heartbeats later and she was standing over him, just as his eyes rolled into head.

The other door guard let go of the chokehold a few moments later, rolling the unconscious guard off of him, before standing. He unbuckled the strap on his helmet and raised it over his head, revealing Bree's face. He shook his head, sighing.

"Stinkin' helmet. You know, one of these days, we're gonna find a guard who's better at his job than your average bucket-head, and they won't go down this easy." He nodded to the unconscious guard.

"That would be the day we get creative." Nina crouched down, extracting some thin fiber cord from one of her hip pouches and quickly tied the guard's hands and feet together behind his back.

Bree let out a grunt, which she interpreted as a laugh. He stuffed a cloth in the guard's mouth, holding it in place as she tied more of the cord around his mouth. "I'd hate to see the poor sods on the wrong end of your  _creative_  side."

"Stuff it, you." She paused a moment before she yanked at the leather cord with a key looped through it at the guard's waist. No point lock-picking if you didn't need to. She gestured vaguely away from the study door. "Go and hide him away already."

"You got it, boss." Bree let off a mock salute, before he dragged the unconscious guard and his spear – no, wait, that was a naginata – to stuff in a nearby room.

She lifted the relatively simple key towards the lock in the door and fiddled with it a moment, before it turned with a satisfying  _click._  She gently swung the door open, and stepped through the doorway.

The hairs on the back of her neck tingled as she entered.

* * *

_avoicewhyisthereAnothervoice_

* * *

_What_.

Odin's heart lurched in his chest, and he could hear its thumping loudly in his ears. He tried to keep from reacting too blatantly, but his right hand clenched into a fist regardless.

Izana continued speaking, but Odin had stopped listening. He was dimly aware of the others in the room asking questions, raising doubts. The two bands started arguing over something, while Izana placated them.

Grima, here? Alive?

How?

That shouldn't be possible. No, it  _was_ impossible. Grima was dead. Deader than dead. Destroyed, no, erased from existence by Robin's own hand. Naga had assured them that that was the last they would ever see of its fell lineage.

But now Naga, or at least, he felt it had to be her, was saying that fiend was back?

Was everything that the Shepherds had worked towards, including Robin's sacrifice, meaningless? Even crossing time itself would not rid the worlds of that menace?

Odin grimaced. He didn't want to believe it, but  _if_  it was true, then why here, why now? He forced himself to focus back on what Izana was saying.

"…her sight into this land was, honestly, rather limited. All she could tell me for sure was that the Grima was working through an avatar. You know, mind of a mad dragon, body of a human? Whoever they are, they would be branded with this symbol."

Izana raised his hand and with two fingers glowing with magic, pressed together like a brush, he dragged them through the air as if painting onto a canvas. Though Odin was momentarily distracted by the unfamiliar magic – what would he call that if he could utilize it somehow? – it quickly became clear what the archduke was creating.

He dotted the six eyes, connected in sets of three by intertwining lines at its base. The symbol hung in the air and pulsed ominously with violet light when it was complete. It faded soon after.

The very symbol which lay on Robin's right hand, eyes depicted on his cloak's sleeves. Symbol of the cult of the Grimleal.

The brand of the Fell Dragon, Grima.

_The very air around him seemed to shake from the force of a colossal roar as Owain ran. The capital of Ylisse burned around him, air thick with the haze of smoke and debris as he cut through another Risen, allowing Inigo and Severa to dart through the momentary opening. He chanced look back and was met with the sight of six glowing, crimson eyes. They bored into him from high above in the air, chased him, even as he ran away from the crumbling city._

His sword hand twitched.

"So you expect us to deal with this as well?" Takumi scoffed. "Why should we care?"

Izana turned toward Takumi. "I suppose I can't really  _make_ you do anything, Prince Takumi. You have to make that choice, not me." He turned to address the group as a whole again. "These two things aren't unconnected. It would horrible if it is true, but she speculated that Grima and the Silent Dragon could be working together. Be wary of anyone bearing that brand."

Both of them working together? He shuddered. That would be a nightmare, considering just how much it took to overcome just one mad dragon. There wasn't any sign of a Falchion or something similar in this world, at least none that he could find.

But, if Grima was back working through an avatar, did that mean Robin was here?

Something clicked in his mind.

The map. The attack in the library. The messy,  _familiar,_ scrawl.

Robin was here. In Izumo.

_Or,_   _Grima is_.

The door to the small room slid open and one of the guards poked his head in. "Archduke?"

Izana nodded and waved for the guard to enter. The guard crouched down next to Izana and whispered something Odin couldn't hear.

"Already? They are quite eager aren't they?" The archduke stood, and turned towards the assembled royals and retainers. "Well, fun as it's been talking to all of you, duty calls."

He stood, heading towards the door, though he paused before exiting. "Remember: unite against these threats or the world as we know it will end. Food is a great way of bonding, so why don't you start with the feast?"

* * *

_makeitstopMakeitstopmakEitstop_

* * *

Nina had seen her fair share of noble bedrooms, studies and fancy hidey holes. More than anyone she knew. Interestingly, you could tell a lot about someone based on how they kept their room, and after enough heists, she started making a game out of guessing what the state of their rooms would be before she entered them.

This, was…not at all what she had expected.

"Well, this is a bleedin' mess, innit?"

She nodded silently in agreement, as Bree stepped inside the circular room, walking past, carrying a lit lantern with its hood mostly down. The room's single window had its shutters locked closed. The archduke's study was…well, calling it cluttered or messy didn't do it any justice.

Papers were strewn about seemingly haphazardly throughout, though some lay in messy piles. On her left, there were a set bookcases entirely devoid of books. However, on one lay a single wooden carving of a dragon. The rest of the books were heaped into seemingly aimless stacks around the room's interior.

On the walls, Hoshidan-styled ink paintings depicting what looked like dragons littered the wall. All twelve of them hung without any sense of symmetry. The walls themselves were coated in paint in a strange style. In the middle of the room, a single, large, lacquered wooden desk sat, barren of anything. Bree set the lantern onto it, opening up the hood.

It's light shone around the room, illuminating it in its entirety. Her eyes widened and she breathed sharply at the sight. "What the…?"

What she had initially taken for simple stylistic patterns painting the stone wall weren't just a bizarre patterns at all.

No, they were words.

_Everywhere._

Not just on the walls. On the floor, the ceiling, covering the stacks of books, looping around the paintings, coating the furniture, the desk, the window shutters. Barely anything was left untouched.

"By the Dusk Dragon, what am I looking at? Are those…words?"

Nina swallowed, her throat suddenly felt very dry. "Looks like the rumors about the archduke being mad might be closer to the truth than we thought." If the state of his study was anything to go by, the archduke of Izumo was absolutely insane.

She shook her head. That didn't matter. Focus. "If the intel was good, the archduke should have a safe or something in here somewhere. You try checking the desk. I'll check the walls in case there's a secret compartment or something."

Bree nodded, and she walked around, systematically checking behind each of the paintings, shifting the shelves and checking the floor for signs of a secret compartment or door. Nothing but those words.

They probably were just gibberish, but she was morbidly curious. She squinted at the tiny print:

" _Something is wrong. Things, people, are showing up where it was clear to me they weren't before. When I ask others, they seem confused and act as if they were always there."_

Well that was…odd. She read another bit at random:

" _Silence seems unlikely to be the source, but could be contributing; something else is the cause."_

And another:

" _The gods said my life would become part of something larger. I think they like being vague to keep me on my toes."_

So just gibberish then, but they were followed by a sequence of eight numbers. She glanced around, skimming some of the other writing, only to find a similar vein of crazy. However, every series of words she could see were followed by eight numbers. Different ones then the ones before. Dates, maybe, or something else?

Eh.

"Nina. I found something."

"Huh?" She backed up from the wall shaking her head. She shouldn't get involved with that type of crazy. She looked to Bree, who had emptied out the desk, the contents on the floor. "Find something?"

He tapped the underside of the opened top drawer of the left side of the desk. "Found a keyhole."

She walked over and crouched down, spotting what he'd seen. "False bottom?" she asked.

He nodded. "Seems like it."

"Heh. Classic."

"Couldn't find a key. Can you crack it?"

She gave him an incredulous look, whipping out her lock-picking kit. "Who do you think you're talking to?"

Bree said nothing, and simply brought the lantern closer. Thoughtful of him. "Someone's touchy."

She sighed, working the pins with her tools. "Can you blame me? This place is giving me the creeps." The lock wasn't too complicated and before long, it clicked open.

"I agree, boss," he rumbled. "Sooner we get out of here the better."

He lifted the false bottom of the drawer, revealing a trio of beautifully cut, glowing gemstones, resting atop a small old looking book.

"Huh. Figured they'd be larger."

Nina rolled her eyes, and put the three stones in a side pouch. Maybe they did something special, maybe not. She really didn't care about them personally, so long as they would sell well on the black market. She lifted the unmarked book out, quickly flipping through it. A smirk grew on her face. This was the real jackpot, at least for her. Hopefully.

She paused when she saw more writing on the bottom of the drawer under where she had lifted the book. This one was brief.

" _You aren't supposed to be here either, are you?"_

Ominous. Was it an attempt to scare off people stealing? The rest of the room already did that, so this felt kind of unnecessary.

"He really is mad isn't he?"

She glanced over her shoulder at Bree, who was reading the inscription. She nodded. "Seems like a good possibility, yeah."

The stone threaded through a leather cord that hung around her neck pulsed.

Kaden's warning. Someone was coming.

Nina shut the book she was holding, closing the drawer to the desk, and turned to Bree, "We need to go, quick. I just got the signal from-"

She cut off as the door slammed shut.

"Well, well." Nina spun at the sound of a woman's voice, reflexively drawing a throwing knife from her belt in a reverse grip. She kept the book tucked at her side in the other hand. "Here I was expecting to find the archduke, but it's just little thieves scampering around and stealing things that don't belong to them."

Backing up from the desk, she put her back near to the wall, and started to edge towards the door, eyes darting around the room. She could see Bree doing the same. She couldn't see the speaker. Was this some sort of trick with magic, or were they actually that good at hiding?

She stopped short as a light blue-haired woman, cloaked in violet flames phased into view in front of the door, right before a ball of pulsing dark energy rushed at her. Nina sidestepped out of the way as the magic splashed against the wall, melting the words off of the stone, ink dripping down like black blood.

What the..? What kind of magic was that?

Nina tossed her knife at the woman, who simply batted it aside by a swipe of wind magic just as Bree leveled his spear at her, and charged at the woman. She'd wished she'd brought her bow.

The woman simply stepped aside the thrust of Bree's spear and caught his lance with her left hand. He struggled a moment before the lance _melted_  in her grasp. As he let out a bark of surprise, she grabbed his face with the other hand before he could get out her reach and lifted the large man slightly up off his feet with inhuman strength, before using his weight against him and slammed him onto the ground.

"Bree, no!" Nina drew another throwing knife as she dashed forward to help, before something grazed her face, cutting a thin line into her cheek. She winced, sucking in a pained breath through her teeth as she felt blood well up on the cut. She just needed to get close enough to stab-

The wind was knocked out of her as she was sent back by a powerful and unseen force. Instinct took over, and she was able to turn the landing into an awkward roll, heaving a moment before she was able to suck in air again.

She looked up in time to see another person cloaked in violet flames standing like a guard near the woman. They hefted what looked like a metal club briefly in sight before they faded. Some form of invisibility magic? When did that become a thing? How many of these guys were in here?

"Nina, get out of here!" Bree's voice choked out. His voice sounded distorted.

She scrambled to her feet, wincing, but still holding the book, just in time to see the woman drawing… _something_ out of Bree into herself. He went limp, and a moment later faded to dust. All that remained were the clothes and armor, empty on the floor.

Her façade of confidence fell, but she shoved her grief down in favor of surviving. She was injured and obviously  _way_ out of her league. She needed find a way to get out of here, fast.

"Now." The woman turned to face her. "Hand over that dangerous toy you have, girl."

* * *

_itswhisperIngbutnobodyhearSnobodybutmenobody_

* * *

It was happening again.

The overpowering scent of Anankos' soldiers came suddenly, without warning. One moment it wasn't there and the next it flooded his senses, almost making him gag at the sudden  _intensity_  of it. He had initially panicked, but immediately after, sent a warning pulse through the stone to Nina, ran to the door, to fight, to do something.

Only to have it slam shut in his face.

Kaden rammed into the stubbornly shut door again. His shoulder protested at his effort, still sore from busting through a window the night before.

No, no, no.

His ears perked up at a noise behind him. Someone was coming up the stairs. What should he do? Run? No, he wasn't like that. He could ask them for help. Beg if he had to. He couldn't just leave Nina if there was  _something_  he could do.

He turned around to face a single man as he stepped up into sight. Straight, long white hair, dressed in traditional onmyoji garb, styled in white and black with the occasional gold trimming. However, it was the curious symbol on his head that made Kaden's eyes widen.

This was the  _archduke_  himself.

The archduke tapped a fan of battle scrolls against an empty palm. "I wouldn't have expected Spectre to have a kitsune with them, much less posted as a guard so plainly in sight. Were you really that confident?"

Kaden held his hands out in what he hoped was a peaceful manner. "Wait, before you arrest me, my friend is in there. They're in danger-"

"I'll say; breaking and entering into my study like that, trying to steal what doesn't belong to them."

Kaden growled in frustration. "This isn't about that. Throw us in the dungeon later if you need to. I know it sounds crazy, but there are invisible soldiers are in there right now and I need to get in there to get my friend out." He bowed deeply. "Please."

The archduke raised an eyebrow. "You," he lowered the fan of battle scrolls, "are very lucky I know what that means."

Kaden's eyes widened as he raised his head. "You know about…?"

The archduke strode up to the door beside him. "Of course. You can sense them inside?" Kaden nodded, slightly bewildered. "How many?"

Kaden shook his head. "I-I don't know, maybe three or four. One of them felt powerful, or at least had a more powerful scent that blots out the rest of them, but can we hurry already?"

"Right. Stand back for a moment, and get ready to fight. I'll handle the strong one if you can keep the others off of me, got it?"

Kaden nodded, quickly sent two pulses through the stone in his pocket and shifted to his beastform. "Whatever it is, do it already."

The archduke grinned. "Let's see how my door handles an ox."

What?

* * *

_agGonyscoRchingmyheadpleasestopmakeItstopitstopit_

* * *

Why had these weirdos not killed her yet? They wanted the book; that much seemed obvious. This temporary stand off or whatever it was wouldn't last long. She needed to stall for time.

"What's this worth to you? M-maybe we could work out a deal, you know? Both walk away happy?" Nina asked, not the slightest bit interested in the answer. She edged towards the window, wincing as she breathed. Probably had a couple of bruised and cracked ribs from the earlier strike.

If she could distract them long enough, maybe she could bust out the window and grapple down. Not the best plan, sure, but it was the only one she could think of at the moment.

The dark mage woman formed another ball of dark light in her palm. "Don't test my patience, girl, unless you want to end up like everyone else who has defied the will of the Silent Dragon. Give it to me willingly, and you may leave with your life."

Great. They were religious nutcases, then.  _Powerful_ religious nutcases.

"Er, point taken." Nina's eyes flicked back to the woman, and then back to the book. Her goal was so close, but was it really worth her life? She glanced at the empty armor of Bree. Even if she handed this over, would she be killed?

The stone around her neck pulsed again, twice this time, the signal that Kaden was going to cause a distraction. Right, there was no way he couldn't have noticed or heard what was happening at this point. She took another pained breath. Whatever Kaden had planned had better work.

She lowered her knife and held out the book, smiling. "Here. Take it."

The woman smirked and shifted to walk over to her. "It's good that you see reas-"

A loud crash and the door exploded inward, hitting a barrier of wind the woman created, before it flipped end over end.

Straight towards her.

Nina's eyes widened before she dove out of the way even as she felt her grip on the book completely slip. Coughing against protesting ribs, she shielded her eyes at the influx of dust, just as she heard a loud growl sound out, followed by Kaden in his beastform rushing past the woman and tackling empty air.

No, wait, he was attacking one of the invisible guys; he must be able to sense them somehow. Useful. The dust settled and the  _archduke_  himself walked in, tapping a fan of battle scrolls in one palm.

Well, that  _was_ a distraction, she supposed.

"Well, well, Arete." The archduke was smiling, but it wasn't friendly. The smile, the way he walked, the narrow focused look in his eyes oozed  _presence_. "I wasn't expecting to ever see  _you_  again. Were the rumors of your death really that exaggerated?"

The woman – Arete, apparently – growled and the dark light in her palm coalesced to form, to her horror, hundreds of tiny bugs. The swarm shot forward and ripped through a stack of books in between the two.

Izana kept grinning as his scrolls formed a portal, which opened, shooting out ghostly forms of pelicans which gulped down the bugs, before diving back towards Arete. She shifted to the side out of the way, as the birds exploded into bursts of wind as they impacted, some tossing up some of the loose paper that had been strewn about.

However, the wind magic also disturbed the invisibility magic on the other two soldiers. Their backs were to her, facing the more obvious threat.

Nina took the opening, tossing her knife into the head of one of the abominations, distracting it a moment before Kaden tore into its neck. He gagged slightly after landing back down on the floor.

"Kaden," Nina warned, "don't let her touch you; she turned Bree to dust that way."

"Seriously?" His voice had that weird echo from his beastform.

She nodded towards the dueling mages as Izana dived out of the way of a wave of violet flames, conjuring what looked like the spirit of a horse, which took the brunt of another attack. The book was on the floor somewhere over there. No chance of getting it now.

She started towards the window. "Wait, where are you...?"

"The archduke can obviously take care of himself. We need to cut and run. Cover me a sec while I get this lock open."

"But…"

"You've become much angrier since I last saw you," Izana called, as he quickly traced a symbol in the air. The loose papers around Izana started glowing before it flew swiftly towards Arete, surrounding her. Nina hoped it gave the woman serious papercuts. "The violet flames are new too. They  _really_  don't suit you; so garish."

Nina started to fumble with the lock on the shutters, as the papers surrounding Arete burst outward, burning with dark fire. "Do not  _mock_  me." There was a something building in her palm, and the violet flames surrounding her increased in intensity. "Your interference has gone on long enough, Izana."

"So your new master sent you came here to assassinate me after only a few months of knowing about him?" The archduke tutted, before sending off two spirits of tigers crackling with lightning towards Arete. "Rude."

There! The lock popped and she threw open the shutters and she attached a grapple with a rope to it to the window, and let it unfurl down to a balcony below. Behind her, something exploded and the people down on the balcony below yelled, but at this point she didn't care.

She felt a hand grip her shoulder, stopping her. She spun to find Kaden, back in human form.

"Nina." Kaden's voice was firm. "We need to help him."

"Why? He looks like he's got it."

"He helped save you, and he knows something about the ones who attacked my other friends. I  _need_  to know."

That was what this was about, huh? It explained something of why Kaden was working with the one they were stealing from. She glanced at the rope and back at Kaden's pleading face.

Nina gritted her teeth. Why was she such a softie? "Fine, but this better be worth it. You owe me."

"I'd say after this rescue that it's even." Kaden shifted back into his beastform.

Nina didn't respond, turning her attention back to the battle right as the archduke snapped with his fingers. The twelve ink paintings in the room flocked towards him, swirling to form another portal as a snake-like dragon burst out and coiled around Arete. She fell to her knees and the dragon constricted around her tighter, locking her in place. The violet flames around her grew in intensity.

With an unspoken signal, Kaden dashed forward after she threw her knife. The knife struck Arete, stabbing through her thin clothing, right as Kaden went by and slashed at her neck with his claws. No blood. Weird.

The archduke quickly drew another symbol in the air and paper manikins cut themselves out of the surrounding papers on the floor, flew down and stuck to Arete's body. Everywhere they stuck seemed to paralyze her until she couldn't move at all. The violet flames surrounding Arete retreated, before they died down completely.

There was a tenseness in the air, as if none of them could completely believe that they'd won. The other three guys, the archduke's assassins she supposed, glowed with an ethereal blue light before they burst like bubble into motes of blue light. That was…not normal.

Kaden broke the silence, voice echoing in that odd way again. "Is she…alive still?"

"Yes. Those are just a temporary seals on that variety of magic. They should hold for-"

They all jumped back, tensing as the violet flames erupted from Arete once again and the ink dragon burst apart. Some of the seals burned off as she struggled to a stand, looking the archduke in the eyes.

"You think you've won?" she spat and let out a strained laugh. "It will  _never_  be enough."

The violet flames flared before she disappeared in a flash of light. The remaining paper seals fluttered to the ground.

* * *

_neveroutofMyheadneedoutofmyheadgetoutofmyheAd_

* * *

"Drat. I didn't account for magical transport in the seal. Oh well."

The archduke turned to them, wiping sweat from his brow. Kaden saw Nina back up warily, even as he shifted back into his humanlike form. "I suppose official introductions are in order. Archduke Izana at your service and such." He waved a hand in Nina's direction. "I know you are the leader of the anomaly you call 'Spectre,' but I know neither of your names."

Nina just scowled in the archduke's direction. She looked like she really didn't want to be here, so Kaden moved into a quick introduction. "She's Nina, and I'm Kaden. Kitsune and wanderer extraordinaire."

The archduke clapped his hands together and smiled. "Excellent. Well, it's good to meet you both."

Kaden's ears perked up and he and Nina tensed as soldiers flooded into the room and moved to surround them. Both of them put their backs to each other as naginatas were leveled at them.

Kaden saw Nina look incredulously at the archduke. "You're still going to arrest us after all that?"

"Of course. Even though you helped, you  _did_ break and enter and even I can't flaunt the law. If you come willingly, I guarantee I can lighten your sentence. I can let them heal your wounds at least before you're incarcerated. However, you will have to give back the stolen goods before that, of course."

She glanced at him, then looked over to Izana. "We don't really have a choice, do we?" She sighed before tossing over a pouch to the archduke, who caught it. He checked their contents, which Kaden couldn't see.

"The book?"

"Somewhere in here. I dropped it."

"And the other guard?"

"Tied and gagged in one of the nearby rooms."

Izana nodded to the guards and they stripped both of them of their equipment, before binding their wrists with rope cords. "Don't worry, the dungeons, if you want to call them that, are actually quite comfy. I'll be around later to chat, but right now I have some cleanup and a feast to direct, yada yada you know the drill."

Nina leaned close to Kaden. "Just so you know, this is your fault."

Kaden just laughed as the guards yanked them away from each other before they dragged them away. At least she wasn't…

No.

He shook his head, shoving thought of Robin and Anna down again. He could face that later. Nina was safe. That was all that mattered at the moment.

* * *

_WHO ARE YOU?_

* * *

Her world was exhaustion, pain, burning, and a thumping in her head.

"My, my, I  _do_  seem quite popular today."

A voice.

"Who are you?"

A different one. Sounded familiar. Not wrong.

"I am Izana. Yes,  _the_  Izana. Archduke, winner of best hair award three times running, messenger to the gods Izana."

"I don't care."

"You're the avatar of Grima, correct?"

A pause. There was something solid underneath her. Stone.

"How do you know that?"

"I did say I was messenger to the gods, did I not? One of them warned me about your arrival here into this world. She really didn't seem to like you. "

" _Naga._ " The word was snarled out like a curse, and she couldn't help but agree. Something about the name made her want to retch. The burning in her head flared. "Can't she just leave me alone?"

"Well, to be fair, according to her, you did destroy her world, did you not?"

"She already won that battle. I don't care about that anymore."

"Really. Well, avatar, what do you call yourself?

"My name is-"

The pain flared. This time from her hand. A groan came from her mouth.

"Who's this?" The first voice.

"A friend."

Anna let out a whimper. She opened her eyes. Something in her blurry vision pulsed. Her hand. Something black quivered, pulsed in her veins underneath the skin, out of sync with her heartbeat. Another off-beat thump. It inched down her wrist. She felt like it should hurt more.

"Did you do that to her?"

"No."

"Truly?"

"Yes. Can you help her?"

A pause. "No."

A snarl. "Why?"

"A healer knows when to apply himself. I can tell she's already on death's door-"

"You'd just let her die?" She was dying? The second voice was angry. She  _did_  know him. Why?

"Whatever curse that is, it's clearly dangerous and spreading. Would she be the same? Would she be happy if she did live?"

"But she would live."

"For how long?"

"I don't care."

"There's nothing you can do. Let her die."

Silence hung in the air. Someone was giggling. Was that her?

"No, there is."

"Sorry, I can't allow you to-"

There was a noise. A scuffle? Something cold passed over her. It felt…nice? Wrongnice. She giggled again.

"Ah. That's…what they meant. Today…is the day…I…become…"

Something thumped down in front of her. Lifeless eyes stared. Something tried to stir in her memory, but it collapsed a moment later.

Boots entered her vision in front of her eyes. "I'm sorry."

'For what?' she tried to ask. Only a garble left her mouth.

At once, her blood was on fire, the thing pulsing in her hand advanced quicker. She threw up. No, dry heaved.

Nothing would come out  _whywouldnothingcomeoutwrongwrongwrongwronggetitoutgetitoutgetit_


	11. Escape

**Chapter 11 - Escape**

* * *

Anankos' mind shifted to the ninja he had set to tailing the messenger  _(his name is Izana)_  just in time to watch the messenger die.

Drawing the life, the soul, out of the messenger, the man, the anomaly, took that energy and shoved it into the collapsed form of the red-haired young woman, the one who had been with him before. She started having a fit, and something black pulsed wildly under part of her visible skin. Her whole form  _flickered_   _(oh, that's not good)_  for a few moments before stabilizing.

What was that?

Something in his mind dismissed it. Unimportant.

Even so, this was certainly…unexpected. Regardless of how it had happened, the deed was done and he directed the invisible ninja away. They slipped silently down the corridor past oncoming guards, no doubt attracted to the sound of the previous struggle between the messenger and the anomaly.

He felt something like mirth stir in him. Arete had failed in assassinating the messenger because of his own impatience. He had sprung a trap meant for the messenger on a simple thief. The surprise attack had turned into a battle once the archduke did arrive, a battle he could have won easily in Valla.

But here, outside of it, his power and influence were weakened. It took immense amounts of energy to send soldiers through to this world, especially when the Bottomless Canyon's gate was closed. For now it remained open, making transfer easier, but only at that location. Anankos was powerful, certainly, but even he had limits.

However, this…turn of events could work well for his own designs. Initially, he had planned simply for chaos in the aftermath: let each nation interpret the murder how they would, all while Garon's agents would have sewed deceit and discord.

That would still be in place, but with a small twist.

If the anomaly allowed himself to stay incarcerated once he was jailed, he would be executed for his crime. However, that was unlikely to come to pass, given how much Anankos had witnessed him cling to life. More likely, he would escape. Once out, he would be hunted. Anankos would spur that along to make sure the anomaly and the other nations were busy with the chase while his own plans moved forward.

For now, a puppet ruler would need to be installed in Izumo, one with a sympathetic ear to Nohr's plight. The ninjas under Garon's command from Mokushu could make short work of anyone else that rose to power in Izumo if needed.

Regardless, Nohr would be one step closer towards conquering Hoshido, and if the anomaly decided to intervene, he would be hard pressed to do so. Who would believe the word of one wanted for regicide?

If he couldn't kill the anomaly, he would neutralize the threat he posed.

But it still weighed on his mind. The anomaly had avoided the Vallite Curse, which should not have been possible. For ages,  _ages,_ it had stood as an achievement, a monument to his control over any information on Valla.

What went wrong? Anankos had felt the curse trigger, the familiar tug on his power as it sought to dissolve the anomaly ( _are you really going to keep referring to him like that?)_  into liquid  _(energy)_ , before drawing him back into Valla.

That pull had abruptly faded to nothing.

And now, not only was he here, he had done Anankos' dirty work for him, just like that. He just kept getting more and more  _intriguing._

How had he escaped it? Something to do with the power that man wielded?

_(Ah, get it. You weren't the one who made that curse; you're just using your own power to fuel it. You're so far gone that you don't even realize that its potency fades the more your spread yourself thin. But then, it doesn't feel like that was what happened here.)_

Or perhaps, the curse itself was losing its strength? But why would it…?

His mind stopped short at the errant thought. Where had that come from? He searched the fragments of his mind he had for answers, but found nothing. Nothing that would have led to that conclusion. Nothing that should not be there.

No, that wasn't quite right. There  _was_ something foreign, almost like strands of smoke weaved into his own psyche. They danced out of reach when he tried to make contact, as if wary of him. Odd. His mind focused long enough to realize that it was strange to have a portion of your own mind acting like that.

He mentally lashed out at the smoke, trying to capture it, draw it in, but instead passed through–

" _Hey…see you're awake…give…your hand."_

–the substance, which immediately retreated elsewhere.

They felt similar to memories. His memories, but very much  _not_  his memories. That in and of itself wasn't an unfamiliar situation, seeing as he constantly drew in the memories and experiences of those who served him. However, unlike those, these refused to integrate with his own mind. Why was that?

A report flowed into his mind. He could deal with the errant memories later.

Anankos opened his eyes to the view of a servant girl being stabbed through the head by his  _(no, not your)_ hand. She fell to the floor without a sound, dead.

_(Wow, you really don't play around, do you?)_

Anankos shifted the eyes of the ninja, noting the three other corpses nearby. Another servant and two men in armor. The ninja's infiltration had ended poorly after one of the more perceptive guards sensed the ninja's approach. The messenger had likely warned them.

He felt a weight tucked under the ninja's left arm and moved the eyes down to look. The traitor's book on seals. How had the messenger gotten ahold of it?

No matter.

Could it be used to break his own? Perhaps, but it was unlikely he could undo his own seal with just his own power. However, this was a secondary goal, at best. Killing the messenger had been his true goal, and the anomaly had already taken care of that, regardless of his reasons.

With the messenger out of the way, it was time to move on to the next step.

* * *

The cell wasn't quite like any Kaden had seen before. Oh, sure, it had some of the usual amenities. Thick metal bars linked closely together, a sturdy metal door with a slat for meals. A chamber pot sitting in a forlorn corner. But, that was where the similarities ended.

The rest of the cell was made of sturdy wood. The whole complex looked largely unused, not to mention it was blessedly clean. It probably helped that it wasn't situated in the basement of the castle, but in a separate secure area on the castle grounds. At least that way it didn't stink of typical dungeon rot.

Though, that wasn't to say the air had a nice smell; the wooden walls must have been recently polished and gave off a smell like resin-based lacquer. Mixed with the scent of incensed candles burning elsewhere outside the cell, it made for an unpleasant combination.

His nose twitched and he sneezed. He sniffed, and rubbed it irritably.

He shifted, sinking deeper into the bedding of the actually comfortable cot, bolted to the wall of course, but completely lacking in bugs, rotting frame or stink of previous occupants.

He sighed, shifting again, but had trouble actually trying to fall asleep. Not only were there two guards, jailers, playing cards at a table near the entrance to the room, talking in low voices, but he was still on edge from seeing Anankos' soldiers so soon again.

Especially the one that talked, the one that had been overflowing with that distinct scent. Izana had called her Arete. Kaden felt like he knew the name from somewhere, but he couldn't quite place where. She and the other soldiers – no, more like assassins – had focused completely on the archduke, uncaring even when he had struck down the others.

His earlier assumption may have been more accurate than he thought. Anankos' soldiers had seemed completely uninterested in him. Maybe that could be a good thing, but he had a feeling if things like this kept happening, that it wouldn't last.

He sighed again. The archduke hadn't been by to talk to them yet. Sure, he was probably busy, and maybe it wouldn't be until the next day that he came around. Kaden still wanted answers.

He jumped, sitting up quickly when his thoughts were interrupted as the metal door to the building slammed open. Quickly making his way to the bars of his cell, he could make out someone, another guard, talking animatedly with the two jailers. One of them nodded and headed off with the newly arrived guard, leaving just the one.

"What was that about?" Kaden called to the remaining jailer.

The jailer looked up from where he was cleaning up cards that had fallen off the table to the floor. "None of your business, that's what."

So he probably had no idea, then. Kaden backed away from the bars and sank back down onto the cot. Back to waiting. He…wasn't really good at it. Eventually he knocked softly on the wooden wall shared by the occupied cell next to him.

He spoke in a quiet voice, hopefully the jailer wouldn't overhear. "Nina, you still awake?"

He knew she was, but people generally reacted poorly when they figured out that he could get a feel for what they were doing when he couldn't see them, both by sound and scent. Though in this case, he could hear her pacing. The pacing stopped near to the shared wall after he called.

"What do you think?" Her voice was hushed, like his.

Kaden winced at the annoyance laced into the question. Probably justified given that she'd had only stayed because he'd asked her to. He doubted she would be here at all otherwise. "You didn't have anything else planned to happen tonight, did you?"

"If you're asking if I know what that was, the answer is no."

"Ah. Sorry."

A long moment of silence hung between them.

"Are you mad at me?" he asked.

"Can you really not tell?"

"Well, I mean, I didn't want to assume." He sighed. "Look, I know you I shouldn't have pressured you into staying, but, you were injured. Escaping would've been dangerous before you got healed."

"And you  _needed_  to pick the archduke's brain about those invisible soldiers. Helping him out, even if he probably didn't need it, was the best way to talk to him about it after we tried to steal from him."

"Well, yeah, I guess that's true." It sounded about right, though he hadn't really been thinking that far ahead at the time.

"Whatever. I'm here now. Are you going to tell me more about what happened to your other friends?" Nina asked. "I feel like you owe me an explanation, at least. And it's not like we're pressed for time right now."

He was about to immediately answer, but paused. Maybe some quid-pro-quo wouldn't go amiss. "Only if you tell me what that what you were aiming for in that heist. No one steals from a castle just for the thrill of it."

"Wow, you  _are_  demanding today."

He started to protest before he heard Nina let out a quiet laugh.

"Relax, Kaden that was a bad attempt at humor. Anyways, I wasn't lying about that; I really do enjoy the challenge. Watching the looks on people's faces when they realize their stuff has been given to the poor is just an added bonus."

"So what, then?"

There was a moment of silence before he heard her sigh. "Remember the book the archduke asked about before we were lead away?"

Kaden nodded, before remembering that she couldn't see him. "Yeah. Something in it you really desperately wanted to know?"

"Not me, exactly. An…associate."

He let out a low whistle. "Some associate if you're willing to go through this for them. Who are they?"

He heard her huff mixed with fabric moving. A shrug? "It doesn't really matter at this point. There's pretty much no way I'm getting ahold of that book at this point. That enough for you?

"I guess." He did want to know more, but at the same time realized it probably wasn't the best idea to press her at the moment.

"Your turn, then."

He took a deep breath, dredging up the memories. "Right."

He told her of the attack in the library, the desperation they had felt, Anna's warded safe house, the resolve to do something about what Robin thought to be a mad dragon named Anankos. He paused, at the right before he got to where…

"Why'd you stop?" Nina asked.

"At that point, everything happened so fast. Robin stopped and asked if we could hear something, and the next, he was on the ground screaming. I froze, but Anna moved to help him or something, but started screaming as well. And then they both…disappeared."

"Disappeared? What do you mean by that?"

His ears flicked in annoyance. "Exactly what I said."

"So they were transported away by magic or something, then?"

"I…no, it was different. I'm sure of it. One moment they were there, and the next they weren't. None of the usual signs like runes or something that would indicate magical transportation happening."

He heard Nina snort. "Since when were you an expert on that?"

He shrugged, forgetting again she couldn't see him. "I'm not. It just felt, I dunno,  _wrong_. I…don't really know how to explain it. It  _wasn't_ normal."

"Alright, alright." Her tone was placating. "Let's say it wasn't. Why are you agonizing over this so much? They're gone and there was nothing you could do, right? It was out of your control. Besides, it's only been a day, right? You're jumping to conclusions if you're up and moving on already."

"That's…" He wanted to say that she didn't know what it was like, seeing as she hadn't been there when it happened. She couldn't know of the confusion, the  _suddenness_  of it. She was being harsh, likely still frustrated from being caught, and letting it show through her tone.

He sighed. "I  _was_  going to."

She snorted, sounding unimpressed. "Wow, you move on quick. So then, what changed?"

Kaden kneaded the blanket on the cot a moment, looking for the right words. "Well, like I said before, the archduke knows something about those invisible soldiers, and hopefully he can tell me something about. Maybe he knows something about what happened to them."

"That seems unlikely. I highly doubt he even knows them. Besides, what were you going to do with that information if you did get it? From what I can tell, it feels like you barely understand what's going on."

He let out a mirthless chuckle. "I don't, really. Maybe I just didn't want to ignore my problems anymore." He'd spent what felt like a lifetime running from another issue that even now, he didn't want to face. "This feels like a chance to stop doing that."

Nina went silent at that. The door to the not-dungeon slammed open again. He ignored it and the sounds of more people entering, lost in his thoughts.

"Hang on." Nina's voice sounded confused.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Well, this is interesting. I think I know where your friends are."

"Really?" He folded his arms, skeptical. "That seems…unlikely. I don't think you've even met them. If you're trying to cheer me up, I appreciate it, but you're as much in the dark on this as I am."

He heard a hand meet skin. "Ugh." Was she slapping her forehead? "Come on, aren't you supposed to be the one with keen senses?"

He cocked his head in confusion. "I mean, I don't like to brag, but…"

"Then look out of your cell, Kaden. They're literally being escorted into the dungeon. Right now."

What?! Kaden jumped up from the cushy cot, knocking a knee into the cot's frame in his haste. His hands clasped around the bars, he peered at an angle towards the entrance. His eyes widened.

Sure enough, there they were. His cloak was missing, but it was definitely Robin, hands shackled, being pushed roughly from behind. He could make out more guards behind them, and caught a glimpse of the familiar form of Anna being carried in, unconscious. The procession stopped in front of one of the cells as it was unlocked by the jailer who had left earlier.

"Robin!" he called out.

Robin turned to face him, surprise lighting up his face. He looked absolutely exhausted, but a semblance of a smile appeared, one of the corners of his mouth quirking up. "Oh, is that you, Kaden?" Yes, that  _was_  Robin's voice. "What are you doing here?"

His nonchalant tone made Kaden have very mixed feelings. He both wanted to hug the guy and punch him in his stupid face for acting so aloof after literally disappearing in front of him.

One of the soldiers escorting him slammed his spear against Kaden's cell bars near his hands, and Kaden jumped back away from the hit. "Silence. Don't speak to the assassin, thief."

Kaden's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Assassin?" he asked. The guard glared at him, clearly unimpressed at not listening to him about speaking again. "What, you just said not to talk to him, not you."

Robin made an approximation of a shrug. "I committed regicide."

Kaden blinked. "What?" his heart jumped in his chest, even as his eyes widened. He sputtered slightly. "Why?"

A different guard slammed his spear into the back of Robin's head, and he stumbled. "Enough! Silence, both of you."

Kaden relented for the moment while Robin was locked into his cell. He heard another cell door closing soon after Robin's. Were they really just putting Anna in there unconscious?

Thankfully, before long, the guards left, leaving just jailers in their place.

"Robin? Where were you? I thought you and Anna were..." he stopped before he spoke the last word. Obviously they weren't dead. No point in thinking that. Nina was right; it had barely been a full day since he saw them disappear.

"It's complicated. I'll tell you later. For now, let me sleep. I'm exhausted. We'll talk once everyone's awake again."

"Is Anna alright?"

"It's complicated," he repeated. "Maybe, at least. I pretty sure she's just unconscious at the moment. She's been through a lot. Now, please. Let me rest."

Kaden settled back on to the cot. Nina laughed quietly from the next cell over. "You get caught up with the most interesting people, Kaden. I thought  _I_ was ambitious, stealing from the archduke. Sheesh." He could almost see her shaking her head. "You really need to put a stopper on those favors of yours."

Kaden stayed silent. It wasn't a favor that had drawn him to Robin. It was curiosity, maybe mixed with a little boredom. He owed him nothing.

But why would he murder the archduke? Robin was a bit aloof, but maybe that was because he was in an unfamiliar place. He didn't seem the type who would just kill anyone without good reason. There had to be a good explanation for this. Right?

Unsurprisingly, sleep didn't come easily.

* * *

Her first memory was of a sense of terrible wrongness. Moving was difficult, almost painful. It was warm, at least. There was a voice – no, several voices. Only one was distinct.

"So beautiful."

She hated it. At first, she couldn't understand what was being said to her, but she was able to piece it together later. Even at first, her mind was sharp, taking note of the sounds, the vibrations, the timbre, the unbridled joy in that voice.

"Perfect. You're so perfect."

Day after day after day the voice and voices continued. Then, one day she grew eyes. She blinked owlishly at the gigantic figure near her, her vision too blurry to make out anything in detail. Even so, she still felt the intensity of that gaze even through a hazy filter.

Later, she realized the blur was part of her cage; she was being held captive.

The figure's eyes moved into focus. There was a focused sense of madness in those eyes. Mad, but with purpose.

Red liquid, blood, was forcefully fed to her. She despised it, but recognized that it was helping somehow, gave her more strength. She didn't know if she would have survived without it. Something dark flitted through her burgeoning mind, something that didn't feel like her own. The other voices grew louder.

She desperately wanted to kill this creature. She could tell that it wasn't her own suggestion, but it seemed like a good idea, even though she didn't fully understand why.

"Ah, you have eyes now too. Splendid, absolutely marvelous. You really are amazing, aren't you? I wonder if you can see me yet. Mmm, no, unlikely. Your eyes are newly formed, so the muscles won't contract correctly just yet, will they?"

She stared into the eyes of her creator and longed for the day when she would be able to escape.

"What will happen next, I wonder? Ah, so perfect, my creation."

* * *

Anna woke up. She felt…fine?

Hadn't she just been…?

Been what? Doing something?

She felt like she should be hurting much more than she was. She distinctly remembered a lot of pain. Part of her wasn't complaining, but the other part felt that it was unnatural; people didn't just get over from pain that intense just like that.

As if responding to that, her head started pounding. She opened her eyes, then immediately closed them, wincing as a bout of pain lanced through them. She shifted, feeling something soft give slightly underneath her.

Whatever it was, she couldn't exactly remember what happened. No, that wasn't right. She could feel them, the memories were  _there,_ but they were…blocked? No, that wasn't it either.

She remembered sensations, a feeling like she had been riding a storm, going with the flow unconsciously. It had made perfect sense at the time. But now? Now, nothing was left but a vague sense that something was off.

"Ah, you're awake? Can you talk?" A familiar voice, hushed.

She clutched her pounding head. She opened her eyes slowly this time, but couldn't make out much. She groaned.

A sigh of relief from the same voice. "Good enough."

The name came to her. "…Robin." Her voice sounded slightly hoarse. She cleared her throat.

"That's me." The source of his voice was coming from somewhere to her right, slightly muffled.

"Where…" she glanced around, blinking rapidly to clear the blurriness out of her eyes. Her vision resolved into the view of a room with polished wooden walls. She sat up slowly, supporting her weight with one hand. Those were metal bars in front of her. This…"Is this a prison cell? How did we get here?"

She heard Robin chuckle. It sounded like it was coming from the next cell over. "We, well for lack of a better way of describing it,  _appeared_  in one of the corridors of the Izumite Castle."

"Appeared?" She carefully slipped her legs off the surprisingly comfortable cot to the floor. It was solid. She didn't know why she felt that was surprising. "What do you mean?"

"I'm still not sure myself, to be honest. I got us back here, but that's about all I'm sure of at the moment. I don't really know  _where_  we came back from."

"But we were…I don't…" Her right hand itched and she scratched absently at it.

She stopped when she noticed the scars. Grey scars crisscrossing over her right hand, tracing the pattern of her veins. She pulled up the sleeve of her shirt and saw that they stretched all the way up her arm past her shoulder. She peeked underneath her shirt.

They stopped at her heart.

That was new. It came with dull surprise. She felt like she should be freaking out a little more. Yes, this  _should_  worry her more. At least besides itching slightly they didn't hurt. But how did she get them?

Was it important? She was alive.

She shook away the thought, and asked anyways. "Why do I have so many scars going up my arm?" She asked Robin. Why did she sound so calm?

"I'd guess that they're a side effect of whatever was happening to you before. I have a few theories, but now probably isn't the best time or place to talk about them. We're a bit crunched for time."

"Why?"

"Before you woke up, someone official looking came around to inform us that all of us were going to be executed for crimes against the kingdom. Likely today, if I'd have to make a guess."

Anna's eyes narrowed. "What crimes?"

Robin let out a laugh. "Well, I killed the leader of Izumo and they seem to think you were an accomplice."

Huh. That was…bad.

Another familiar voice spoke up, sounding cheerful, but with a nervous undertone. "Well regardless of that, at least you both are back in one piece, right?"

That voice. "Kaden? What are you doing here?"

He sounded sheepish. "I may have participated in a heist stealing from the late archduke of Izumo. We were caught by Izana, but he wanted to talk to me. Unfortunately it turns out that the new guy in power doesn't share the whole 'I want to talk' sentiment."

"Huh?" Anna tilted her head, confused. "Why were you stealing from the archduke in the first place?"

A new, feminine, cocky-sounding voice spoke up, annoyance clear in her tone. "He owed me a favor for saving his life."

Anna didn't recognize the voice. "Do I know you?" she asked.

"Doubt it." It sounded like a young woman, maybe.

"She's Nina," Kaden supplied. "The leader of the vigilante group I was helping."

"Kaden," Nina sounded frustrated, "you don't just  _tell_  people that."

"Well at least we all know each other's names now."

Nina let out a sigh. "Yeah, we have a thief, a kitsune, a murderer and a merchant all sitting talking to each other in jail cells. Sounds like the start of some bad tavern joke. Regardless, Kaden and I were being kept here for questioning since we helped the previous leader take down another intruder."

"More of those invisible soldiers," Kaden piped in, answering Anna's unspoken question.

"Right," Nina continued. "And he wanted us, or rather Kaden, to answer some questions about them."

"Izana seemed to be familiar with them somehow." Kaden added.

"So your problem is that now that he's dead, the deal is off." Robin sounded contemplative. "I take it the new stand-in ruler has no idea what's going on and wants to save face with the upper echelons of society?"

"Seems like it," Kaden agreed. "Nina's vigilante group isn't popular with the nobles."

"Or in other words, execution is likely for you as well, once they deal with the ones who killed their leader."

Anna shook her head, bewildered. "Hold up, hold up. Just, stop for a second. There's still something I don't get it. Why would you kill the archduke in the first place, Robin? That's…" She struggled to come up with the right word and eventually just settled on, "Why?"

"Oh, I guess you weren't really all there enough while it was happening to remember. I did it to save your life."

"…How does that work?" There was a tug in her memory and something bubbled to the surface.

_Something black quivered, pulsed in her veins underneath the skin, out of sync with her heartbeat._

She shook her head again and focused back on what Robin was saying.

"…more complicated than this, but basically I took the life energy out of him and transferred it to you. Sort of. You can think of it as something like a Nosferatu spell, but multiply it by however much it would take to kill a person."

Anna heard Nina speak up. "That's unnatural." There was a bit of disgust in her voice.

"I wouldn't claim it to be anything else, but I don't have access to traditional healing magic. At all. I didn't even know if it would work, but I had to make do with what I had and there wasn't really any time to look for another person or alternative. You were on the verge of death, Anna, and I didn't know what else I could do."

"I…"Anna didn't know what to feel. She was grateful. Apparently he'd saved her life. But he'd also killed someone else to do that. She settled on saying, "Thank you. For saving my life."

Something else clicked in her mind. She felt like it should be more horrifying, but the answer just settled into her head without any fanfare. "That's why you were surrounded by corpses."

"What?" Robin asked, sounding confused.

"When I first found you, outside of Izumo. I had just made a sale to a caravan traveling a ways ahead of me. Later I found them all dead, except you. They didn't have any wounds because you drew the life energy out of them."

"Ah." He didn't sound surprised. Did that happen often to him? It also brought up the disturbing question of how and why he was able to do something like that in the first place. She'd never heard of something like this.

But, maybe she didn't know as much as she thought she did.

She curled up, bringing her knees to her chest and linking her arms around them, before laying her pounding head on top of her knees. The others started talking again, but she stopped listening for a moment.

She felt like she was missing something important. Once more, she tried to remember what it was that she'd been doing. Once again, nothing but sensations. Her hand itched again. Her headache pulsed.

No, there was something that stuck out though. Six eyes. She looked to her right hand, but aside from the new scars, it seemed no different from any other time she'd looked at it. Why had she expected it to look different? Had she seen that pattern somewhere before?

Yes. The cloak, Robin's stupid, tattered cloak, the one he'd flat out refused to take off, even after she'd insisted he wear something more presentable to sell merchandise at her stall. There were three eyes depicted on each of the sleeves.

Something else in her mind connected, and she remembered ash, talking with... someone. Her brow furrowed as she struggled to remember. It was so muddled, like a half-forgotten dream.

The memory blurred into a sort of half-focus. Talking with someone wearing a similar coat, but less worn looking. They had claimed he couldn't help her because he was...

"Robin?" she asked abruptly, interrupting the conversation between the others.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"You're not-" she hesitated, "…dead, right?" She almost felt silly asking it.

"What kind of a question is that?" He chuckled, sounding bemused. "I mean, last time I checked I was still alive."

"Right, sorry, dumb question. Forget I asked."

"If you say so. Regardless, like I was saying. Because I killed the previous archduke, it's probably safe to assume that if I even do face trial, it would be heavily biased against us. Yes, I did save you, Anna, but that's not going to matter to them. That's assuming they don't just execute us outright as some sort of scapegoat. I wouldn't be surprised it something similar happens to Kaden and Nina."

"So what do you plan on doing?" Kaden asked.

"I'm going to get out of here and find information on Anankos, and then I'll find a way to end him."

"You really think it's going to be that easy?" Nina asked, sounding skeptical. "Didn't you barely last against this guy's soldiers before?"

"True, our little fledgling group didn't even go past its first meeting, but I'm going after this guy regardless of what all of you want to do. Something big is going on here. But…"

Anna heard him sigh. "Honestly, I don't even know where to start looking. However, that won't stop me from doing it. 'Know your enemy.' It's the first rule of any war. I need answers, and sitting around waiting for a government to decide what to do with thieves and murderers is going to take time I don't care to spare."

Kaden spoke up. "Izana knew something-"

"He's dead," Nina pointed out.

"However," Robin argued, "if he could find something out, chances are that I can as well, but first, I'm going to bust out of here."

Nina scoffed. "That sounds great and all, but how are you supposed to even get started on that if you can't even get out of here? Nice as it looks, it's still a prison cell."

"Anna, are you well enough to walk?"

Huh? She stood, and her legs were able to stand firm. She felt a bit shaky, but otherwise physically fine. "Yeah, I think so. Why?"

"Well, in the guard's haste to put me away, they didn't account for one important thing." There was a sound of screeching metal, like it was twisting, then snapping, followed by a huge crash. Anna quickly looked through the bars in time to see the two jailers go down, bodies crackling with lightning. The door to Robin's cell lay on the floor nearby, bent severely out of shape.

"Tomeless magic." He turned towards each of them, grinning. "Now, do you want me to get you out?"

Nina let out a dark chuckle. "Is that really even a question? I never wanted to be in here in the first place."

"Well, since the archduke's dead," Kaden spoke up, sounding somewhat resigned, "I've got no reason to stay here either. Never was great with being in confined spaces anyways."

Robin moved to Nina and Kaden's cells, melted through the locks with what she though was likely concentrated fire magic, and simply swung open the doors of their cells. He walked over to her door.

She backed away from the bars. "Robin, I… don't know if I can go through with this."

Robin cocked an eyebrow, but still moved forward to repeat the process of melting the lock.

"I won't force you to come with me out of the city, but regardless of what you do, you shouldn't stay here. If you do, you'd likely be made into a scapegoat. If you don't want to come along with me, I suspect your sisters will be able to help you out. You'd likely be able to go back to being a merchant before too long once this blows over if you want."

The lock melted through and Robin swung open the door. She hesitantly stepped out. Kaden and Nina were retrieving the personal effects from what looked to be a small storage closet near the entrance. She realized her dark maroon cloak was missing.

She meandered over to the small storage room, and found her things. She swung her cloak on. What Robin said made sense, but she wasn't sure she should go with him.

She should go with him.

She blinked. But, why?

Because she wanted answers, and following him seemed like her best chance at finding them.

But, her sisters had a big information network, they could find something out. Besides, as she had already proved, she wasn't really cut out for fighting, especially against a threat she couldn't see.

Yet…did she not want to get away from being a merchant, from being just another Anna? Had she not been bemoaning her lot in life? This was the chance she wanted, to experience something new, to do something great.

Robin killed the leader of a peaceful country.

To save her life.

Nina and Kaden arguing broke her out of her own internal exchange.

She saw Nina shake her head. "Count me out, Kaden. You guys can get me out of here, but don't count on me going off to help you and Robin against this Anankos guy."

"But Nina, you fought those invisible soldiers with me. You saw how real they were."

"And because of that, I know that I'm severely out of my league." Nina placed a hand on her hip and waved a hand dismissively. "Go and wage war on a dragon or whatever, but leave me out of it. Besides, Robin kind of freaks me out."

"But-"

Robin put a hand on Kaden's shoulder. "Let her do what she wants, Kaden. She's under no obligation to help us."

Nina crossed her arms, frowning. "At least you're sensible. No offense, but I've got my own thing going on already."

She saw him duck into the storage room and shrug on his tattered cloak. "That's fine." The stitched eyes on the sleeves seemed to stare at her as he turned to face her. "Regardless, Anna, after we make it out into the city, do you want to come with Kaden and me?"

Anna nodded. She wasn't exactly sure why she did. Her headache receded some.

A thought crossed her mind. "Robin, one of my sisters should be willing to smuggle us out of the city if we explain what's going on. It would probably work better than just running."

If she was going to go with them, she could at least make herself useful in some way.

He smiled at her. "Sounds like a plan. Now then." He opened up the door to the building. "Let's go, shall we?"

* * *

Odin's steps were hurried as he rushed towards castle grounds. He could still scarcely believe it.

The archduke has been assassinated last night.

Rumors were saying it was a Nohrian who did it. But his group knew differently. Niles had been able to get a glimpse of the man responsible being led off.

He had the brand on his hand.

Izana had been killed by the avatar of the Fell Dragon.

The new temporary leader of Izumo wanted him dead as soon as possible as a show of power. Odin wasn't sure what to think, but he needed to get answers before that happened.

"I'm still unclear as to why you didn't mention anything about this sooner." Behind him, Niles kept pace with him. Lord Leo and Prince Takumi were stuck playing politics with the temporary new archduke. They'd likely need to leave the city soon, or risk being caught up in a power struggle.

Odin threw out his hand to the side, fist clenched. "Because Grima was  _dead._  Very dead."

Niles let out a laugh. "Obviously, you didn't do as good a job as you thought. No doubt sweeping into a grandiose speech while they slipped away."

Odin didn't look back as he stepped out into the castle's courtyard, towards the complex that held prisoners. "Really not the time for that, Niles."

"Regardless of what you think happened, this avatar of Grima murdered the archduke."

"I know what they're saying, but it just doesn't seem like something he would do."

"Know him, do you?" Niles asked.

"No…well, yes. It's complicated."

"Really now? Try me."

Odin took a breath. "His name is Robin. I knew them both as a person and as the avatar of Grima. I need to see them. If I could just talk to them, maybe we could figure out what in Naga's name is going on."

"Naga?" Niles asked.

"Deity where I come from. I'm pretty sure she's the one who told Izana about Grima being here."

A loud boom shook the ground, and he stumbled slightly. A warning bell started sounding in the distance. Dust and debris rose from a section of the outer wall surrounding the Izumite castle.

Odin started running towards the rising dust, Niles close behind him. He didn't take the time to stop and check the forms of either unconscious or dead guards as he passed them. Takumi's retainers came running up from a different direction to the scene along with more armed castle guards, but he didn't care about that. He stopped short at the sight of a large hole in the castle's outer wall.

Four people were starting to make their way through the hole. A young woman with white hair done in two braids, someone with distinct red hair - an Anna sister? - and a kitsune. The first two were already moving through the hole, but standing to the side, it was him. His distinctive cloak was tattered, but the rest of the features were absolutely him.

"Robin!" Odin called out.

Robin looked back. He answered to that name: a good sign. He looked at Odin, cocked an eyebrow, before he smirked. The kitsune whispered something unheard in Robin's ear which Robin responded to by shaking his head.

Odin stepped forward. "What are you doing?"

"I think it's pretty obvious." Runes swirled around him as magic built in his hand. Those were for…

Odin's eyes widened and turned to those approaching. "Get back!"

Thankfully, they heeded his warning, just before an enormous wall of flames erupted between the two groups, cutting off the view of the hole. The scorching fire seared the stone of the wall near it, burning the grass underneath to a crisp.

The blaze lasted less than a minute, but Robin, and the ones with him, were already long gone.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of things happening.
> 
> Robin continues to make waves. Are they good waves? Bad waves? Were his choices good ones? Were they terrible?
> 
> Regardless, this marks the end of the first story arc of sorts.
> 
> What do you think so far? I love hearing all of your input.


	12. Focus

**Chapter 12 - Focus**

* * *

"Mind running that by me again?"

Anna shuffled her feet, not meeting her sister's eyes. Maybe she shouldn't have been surprised that this wasn't going as smoothly as she'd hoped.

Still, was it not ironic that as much as she shunned her reputation as an Anna sister, the moment she needed help, she came running to her family?

Maybe, but she would take what she could get. "I need you to smuggle us out of the city."

"And remind me why you need me to do this, one more time?"

"Well…" Her left hand went to the back of her neck, and she gave a half-hearted smile, still avoiding her sister's eyes. "I might be on the run from the Izumite government now for being suspected of conspiring with the guy who killed the archduke."

She'd kept her right hand under her cloak, to not reveal the new scars leading up her arm, if only not to worry her sister further. She should get a pair of gloves to cover them up. They still itched slightly, but at least her head had stopped pounding.

Her sister's eyes half-lidded, hand cocking to her hip. "Lemme guess, Mystery Man over there is the one who did it, right?" Clearly, she wasn't impressed.

"Robin did it to save my life." She could tell that it was true, even though she didn't understand yet what it was he had saved her from. There hadn' been a chance yet to really talk.

"How romantic." Her sister's tone was flat.

" _Anna_."

Her sister sighed and glanced over to Robin and Kaden, sitting at a table near the shuttered window across the small, but well-furnished sitting room, talking in low voices. Nina had already gone her own way while they were losing patrols in the city to get to here, the flat above her sister's shop.

Her sister looked back to her, before she leaned in close. "They aren't pressing you into doing this, right?"

"No." Anna shook her head for emphasis. "I'm choosing to go along with them."

Her sister folded her arms, unconvinced. "Alright, let's say that I agree to this: what's your plan? What are you going to do afterword?"

"…Kill a mad dragon."

"You mean the one you told me sent invisible soldiers to assassinate you? You want to go  _looking_  for the thing that wants to kill you?"

"It's not like we're just going to charge at it blindly. We're going looking for information. If you want you could even help us out in the search. You know, use your network of contacts to find something?"

"Don't push it."

Her sister was clearly unimpressed with her request, so Anna switched tactics. "Come on Anna, you aren't just going to leave me to be executed right?"

It was a low blow, but it seemed to work.

"Of course I won't!" Her sister looked offended at the implication that she would. "But I'm not sure that helping you with this is the best way. You sound like you're in way over your head, Anna."

"Well, what else am I supposed to do? It's not exactly like these things will just blow over. Izumo wants us executed and the dragon will keep hunting us, Anna. The longer we wait around, the more likely it is that we'll be captured or killed."

Her sister sighed and rubbed her eyes-

_moving right through the eyes she meant to rub_

-and sighed.

"Look, this is a lot to swallow. I'll help you, but I'm worried you're jumping into to something you'll regret, Anna. That's all."

Great. Now she felt bad.

At least she was getting somewhere.

They walked over to Robin and Kaden who looked to them from their conversation at their approach.

"Well?" Robin asked.

Anna nodded. "She'll help us."

"However," her sister interjected, "all three of you together would attract too much attention, so we'll have to smuggle you out separately."

Robin nodded. "That makes sense. I assume you have at least an idea for a rendezvous somewhere?"

Her sister nodded. "The owner of an inn in a town west of here is run by someone who owes me a big favor. You'll arrive at different times, but you'll all get there eventually. In the meantime," she gestured to Kaden's ears and tail, "you need something to cover those traits, and you," she gestured to Robin, "ought to ditch that cloak of yours. It's too distinctive."

"Ah, no. The cloak stays." There was a challenge in the way he said it.

Her sister cocked her eyebrow, unfazed. "Weren't you wearing the thing when you…you know, killed the-"

Anna laid her left hand on her sister's shoulder, cutting her off. "Trust, me Anna, I already tried to get him to get rid of it before. I don't think this is going change anything."

Robin gave Anna an odd look, which she returned with a cocked eyebrow.

Her sister threw her arms up in a gesture of surrender. "Fine, whatever. But at least take the thing off or cover it up while I help you get out of the city." She started to move towards the stairs before she paused, looking back. "I feel like I shouldn't have to tell you all this, but don't go out. For now, just wait here while I get the operation ready."

Anna gave her a mock two finger salute. "You got it."

* * *

The thrill of battle sung in her veins.

Corrin sidestepped the thrust of the spear, before bringing her own sword up to redirect the follow-up jab towards the left, grabbed the handle of the spear with her free hand, and jerked it towards her. Moving with the momentum of the grab, she stabbed forward, but her opponent shifted out of the way, throwing a kick towards her midsection.

Anticipating the move, she let go of the spear and twisted out of the way of the boot, spinning into a swipe with her sword, blocked by the wood of the spear. The strength of the impact sent painful vibrations up her arm, but she ignored them.

They held the lock for a moment, before she disengaged – she knew she wouldn't win a contest of raw strength – and rolled under and away from the retaliatory swing. She quickly righted herself, orienting towards him. The two began circling, the sand of the sparring arena coarse under her bare feet.

As they circled, she saw Jakob enter her field of view, walking towards the outdoor practice yard, before coming to a stop just outside of the sparring ring, watching impassively. Of course, she knew what to look for and saw a modicum of distaste flash through his expression, likely at how long they had been going. He really didn't need to worry so much. She knew her limits.

This particular spar had been going for only a minute, which didn't sound like much on its own. However, this was just the latest of a many matches. She was tiring, and Gunter was just as skilled - if not more so - than she was. He also had the advantage of the reach with his spear.

However, he was both aging and wore heavier armor, and she could see his movements flagging slightly. It would likely be imperceptible to anyone else, but Gunter had been her sparring partner all of her life. She likely knew his tells better than he did.

For her, fighting and swordplay were second nature. It wasn't as though there was much else to do, stuck within the bounds of the Northern Fortress as she was.

The thrill thrummed under her skin.

_There._

She surged forward, twisting around Gunter's downward swipe before she  _slammed_  the flat of the blade upward into Gunter's forearm. A cry of pain and his grip on the weapon loosened. She immediately pressed the advantage and moved into a flurry of blows.

He recovered quickly enough to parry one strike, two, but it was frantic, clumsy because of the fresh injury. Gunter stumbled. On her third blow, the spear flew out of his grip right before she rammed her shoulder into him and knocked him spinning face down into the sand.

The tip of her blunted practice sword drove towards his neck before he could recover. The thrill hummed, urging her sword forward, but she ignored it, stopping at with the tip at the back of his neck.

They held that position a moment before Corrin let out a long breath out, and the thrill faded once again to a distant hum.

The spar was over. She took the point of the practice sword away from Gunter's neck before jabbing the tip into the sand. She offered her free hand to him, smiling.

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Excellent form, milady." He grasped his hand in hers. "However."

Her eyes widened and she tried too late to get out of the grip. Her world spun and she crashed hard into the sand, her breath rushing out in a gasp.

"You forgot the most important lesson: never let your guard down against your opponent, not even for a moment." Corrin gasped roughly for a moment before she was able to suck in air again, coughing slightly. "True enemies will not be so kind. Show any weakness and they will exploit it; having the wind knocked out of you will be the least of your worries then."

She pushed herself up on her hands and knees, shaking off the daze. Jakob came rushing up, crouching down to her level, placing worried hands on her back, but she waved him off shaking her head. It was just unexpected, not life threatening.

He looked up towards Gunter. "That was uncalled for, old man!"

Gunter's arms came to a parade rest, hands clasped behind him, his face impassive. "Hmph. Life is not a spar, and the sooner Lady Corrin understands that, the better."

"You are just a sore loser."

"And you coddle her too much. Nohr is not seen kindly; you know this. If someone does not teach her these heard lessons now, she won't last a day on a real battlefield."

"Lady Corrin is peerless with her skill in the sword, matched perhaps only by Lord Xander."

"Perhaps." He directed his attention her as she got to her feet. "However, forgive me for saying this milady, but you lack any  _real_  experience. When the time comes to make snap decisions in battle, you cannot hesitate or show mercy. This was meant as a reminder of that." His eyes flicked to Jakob. "Surely even you can see the wisdom in this."

"You are making excuses, old man. Her lack of experience is not her fault and you know it."

"Let it go, Jakob." She set a hand on his shoulder. It was an old argument, and the two would go on for hours if she let them. She retrieved her practice sword and put it back in its holder off in the side of the ring. "It was a bit harsh, but he had a point." Even if she didn't fully agree with it. "Anyways, did you need something?"

Jakob glared a moment more at Gunter, who returned the look coolly, unperturbed, before he left. Jakob turned towards her, bowing his head slightly. Not for the first time, she wished he wasn't so formal. "A rider came earlier bearing news, milady. One of your siblings will be coming to visit soon."

"Really?" Corrin perked up, a smile forming. She began walking back towards the fortress, Jakob falling into step slightly behind her. Though the sky was overcast like normal, she knew evening was approaching. Hopefully, Felicia wasn't on cooking duty alone. "Did the message say who it was?"

"I believe it was Lady Camilla and her retainers."

Corrin's smile turned strained. "That's…great."

"Is something the matter, milady?"

"No, it's nothing." She really was looking forward to a visit, any visit, but Camilla could be a bit…much. Oh well. At least it would add some variety to her schedule.

* * *

The bandanna crushed Kaden's ears, muffing his hearing slightly. A cloak covered his tail. Both were obnoxious and the bandanna itched, but he recognized the need to lay low for now.

The inn was a relatively small establishment, a fairly typical two-story affair, with a room with tables on the first floor doubling as tavern and rentable rooms on the second. The owner had thankfully accepted Anna's sister's request without much question, if not a raised eyebrow.

They were safe, at least for the moment. Three full days after leaving the Izumite capital and they were all finally in the same place again, Anna being the last to arrive earlier today. She was currently off getting supplies, and Robin had gone somewhere. Kaden hadn't seen him all day.

Kaden had only just started actively gathering information on how far news of them had spread. Unfortunately he hadn't needed to look very hard, as a table right here in the inn was currently talking about it. That was…discouraging.

"You hear the news from the Izumite capital?"

"What, about the big Festival of Spring or somthin'?"

The table in question was full of workers finished with their work for the day, enjoying a drink.

"Well, sorta, but I'm talkin' about what happened at the end of it." The one who brought it up smelled like soil and had dirt caked under his nails – likely a farmer – took a long swig of his drink, drawing out the tension.

"Well, don't leave us in suspense. Out with it already." That one smelled like dough, and the white splotches of flour on his clothes pointed to him being a baker.

The farmer leaned in, seeming apprehensive, but grinning at the suspense he was causing his table mates. "The archduke was assassinated on the last day of the Festival."

The reaction was subdued. "That's it? We already heard about that. Terrible news, that, and you shouldn't go makin' light of it."

"Nah, don't be mistakin' me now. I heard a new detail; somethin' interesting, yeah?" He took a swig out of his mug, before scowling. "It was a Nohrian who done it."

The others at the table started muttering.

"I know, right? Blasted wyvern dung eatin', war makin' savages, the lot of 'em."

Kaden let out a small sigh of relief, tuning out the rest of the unsavory comments. At least the details of who had done it were muddled.

He was about to leave and go find Robin when another patron who had been drinking alone at a different table turned towards the group. A black traveling cloak with a hooded cowl drawn obscured his features. "I'm afraid that's what you are saying is not correct. You really should get your facts right before you go spouting drivel."

The farmer stood up, slightly wobbly, glaring at the other guy. "Yeah, and what do you know, huh? You think it was something else, a Hoshidan, one of the tribes? Pah. Not bleedin' likely."

"Hardly. The tribes don't have nearly enough resources or reason to try something like that." He stood and moved closer to the gathered crowd. "No, it wasn't a Nohrian at all, but another separate party altogether. The Izumite castle guard apparently had him and his accomplices in custody."

"Well that's fine then, innit?" The man snarled and the drunk farmer didn't seem to have the sense to back off.

"If you'll let me finish, they  _had_  them in custody only briefly before they escaped a few days ago. Blasted through one of the castle's outer walls to do it. If they're smart, they'll be out of the capital already."

"Hah, you really think one little group was really able to do something like that?"

"I'm only telling you what I know, likely from more credible sources than you."

Well, this wasn't good. Kaden stood and left as the innkeeper's husband moved to break up the engagement before it descended into something worse.

The late afternoon sun greeted him as he moved out into the small farming village of Albah. From what he gathered, they mostly did business, trading with other towns and villages around the capital. West of the Izumite capital, Albah wasn't particularly large, but had paved its main thoroughfare, its primarily wooden buildings wrapping around a central water source. The whole village small enough to that it was difficult to get too lost in.

Eventually, he found Robin in the town hall's records room, poring over a map while writing something on a loose piece of parchment. A stuffy looking guard hovered nearby, likely the one who had let Robin into the records hall.

"Hey, Robin."

Robin didn't look up. "Just let me finish and I'll be right with you, Kaden."

Kaden shrugged and leaned against the door frame. While he waited, a hesitant looking scribe came in from the main assembly hall. She took one look at the both of them and moved quickly towards a nearby storage shelf. She grabbed a book before leaving quickly, though not before giving them nervous glances.

"What was that about?"

Robin finally looked towards him. "I think we intimidate her."

"Maybe."

Robin stowed the parchment into an interior pocket of his cloak and as he did so, Kaden noted a sword buckled to his belt, the pommel poking out slightly. Undoubtedly there was a battle tome stored in stored somewhere in one of the cloak's inner pockets.

Getting armed was one of the first things they all did before leaving the Izumite capital, a gift from Anna's sister. Along with his beaststone, Kaden had a knife for self-defense, just in case.

"You finished here, Robin?"

Robin nodded and rolled up the map, depositing it back on one of the shelves. "I assume you need something?"

"Right." They both stared walking out of the town hall, past the guard who locked up the records room behind them. He leaned in, talking quietly. "I heard some talk in the inn. Seems like rumors about you- know-what are already starting to spread, and some are even startlingly accurate."

"It's not too surprising considering what happened, but that is worryingly fast. No doubt bounties and wanted posters will start circulating soon." Robin sighed. "We shouldn't stay here long."

"I feel like we should at least stay the night once, you know, get our bearings together before heading off."

"Sounds fine, but be prepared to get away quickly if needed."

"I assume you have an idea for where we should go?"

"Away from the country of Izumo, naturally. South towards Mokushu seems our best bet at the moment since from what I've gleaned, even though they support Hoshido with their ninja, they're neutral enough. Have you ever been down that way?"

"Can't say I have, but that sounds right." He hadn't wanted to head any more west as it was a little too close to…well. "Any ideas where to go after that?"

"Not yet, no, but hopefully one of the Anna sisters will have contacted us with something from their network, before long. If not, well…" He trailed off. "Regardless, before we lose sunlight, there is something I would like to do before we get too far."

"What's that?"

"Let's find Anna and I'll show you."

* * *

The small town below looked so peaceful, tranquil. Normal. Far above from a nearby cliff through the cover of foliage, Shura lay crouched down and watched daily life in action, knowing the peace was all a gilded lie.

Mokushu made efforts to look neutral, but if you knew where to look, their dealings with Nohr became apparent. Thankfully, for him, it wasn't the nation of Mokushu that was the issue. Shura had already long since located the source of Mokushu's woes.

The current Mokushujin daimyo. Kotaro. The man responsible for the destruction of his own nation, Kohga.

What Shura was planning on doing was suicidal, completely irrational. That's why it would work. Oh, he had backup plans, certainly, but this would be the most satisfying way.

One of the men from his band of outsiders sidled up beside him. "Shura, one of our spies reported troop movements. The ninjas are mobilizing for an operation. Looks like something big."

Shura smirked. "Good." This would work well for his operation. "After they've moved out, we wait for the best moment and strike. That will put our window at a week, maybe two at most."

"How can you be so sure? What if Kotaro goes out with them?"

Shura's mouth moved into a grimace. "Believe me, I know all too well how Kotaro thinks. Something like this would be below him. Besides, he's too busy maintaining his neutral image to go with something like that. He'll be there."

And in the end, one way or another, Kotaro would lie dead by his hand, and the voices of that cried out from Kohga's dead would finally be silenced.

* * *

"And, you're dead."

The steel point of a sword tickled Anna's neck. Her breath came out mildly labored. Her eyes flicked over to her own sword, lying out of reach across the forest clearing, knocked out of her grip.

Robin retracted the sword and backed away, allowing her to push herself to her feet. An applause came from Kaden, sitting on a log near the edge of the clearing. "Hey that wasn't too bad, a bit rough at the end, but pretty good."

She winced as she retrieved her fallen sword and sheathed it, adjusting her new fingerless gloves. "You don't have to patronize me, Kaden. I was clearly outmatched." She rolled her arm, still throbbing from her own deflections of those last blows from Robin. Right before her sword was knocked out of her grip and she was knocked flat on her back.

The whole spar had felt one-sided. She could tell Robin was holding back, and that wasn't even including the fact that he hadn't used any magic.

"But it was informative." She looked towards Robin, his own sword held loosely at his side. His eyes were calculating.

"How so?" She moved to her pack and crouched down to retrieve her waterskin.

"Well." Robin sheathed his own sword, and sat down on a nearby log, crossed one arm while slipping a hand under his chin. "There's a few things. Your stamina is pretty solid, but could be better. I can tell you have some training with the sword, but you're trying too hard to block my strikes instead of turning them away. You're feeling that pain in your arms, I'll bet?"

She nodded, taking a deep drink of water. "Yeah."

"Honestly, you'd be better off dodging out of the way of strikes or deflecting them, especially up against stronger opponents. If you move to simply block, the disparity in strength could end up fracturing the bones in your arms if you block too much, or, in the worst case scenario, break your weapon."

"Has that happened to you before?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Not to me personally, no, but I've seen it kill when it happened to others. You also need to learn better footwork. You're fast, but speed won't help if you stumble."

Kaden let out a low whistle. "You got all of that just from that one fight?"

Robin glanced towards him and shrugged. "Remember, I was the tactician of an army. Gauging the strengths and weaknesses of my troops was my job."

"Ah, right."

He turned back to face her. "Regardless, you locked your knees at the end; it was how I was able to knock you over. Your stance needs work, something that's flexible but holds your center of balance, something that doesn't lock up the moment you're under duress. I can show you a resetting exercise, something to train yourself to revert to a good flexible stance on instinct."

Anna nodded her assent. It made sense.

Robin paused a moment, staring at her carefully. "You're distracted."

She sighed, rubbing her eyes. "Can you blame me with everything that's happened?"

"No, but getting distracted even for a moment can be fatal in battle. Whatever is on you mind will still be there afterwords, but  _only_  if you live through it. "

"That's easier said than done." Even if it was true. "Look, I was trained for self-defense, not real combat."

He held up a hand. "Don't misunderstand me, that wasn't meant as a reprimand. Everyone starts somewhere, and yours is far from the worst starting point I've ever worked with. But, don't let it go to your head. You need to be able to quickly assess whatever combat situation you find yourself in and decide when to fight and when to flee. There is no shame in running when you're in over your head."

"You're just a fountain of wisdom today, aren't you?"

"Doesn't make what I'm saying any less true. All I ask is that you listen."

"Yeah, yeah." She stood. "You said something about a resetting exercise?"

Robin nodded, and started instructing her on the stance and movements of the drill, which she moved into without complaint. Like he had said, her mind was distracted, worried about her situation. How could she not be? She was on the run now.

She also hadn't asked the obvious questions. Sure, she'd barely gotten back together with the other two after separating to get out of the Izumite capital, but she hadn't asked anything yet.

Why? Even if Robin did not have full answers it had to be better than her own speculation. Was it really that difficult to ask?

Maybe she just was afraid of what the answer would be.

But it would be worse just letting it fester in her head. She should ask. He was right there.

She'd do it soon. For now, she would focus on what was right in front of her.

* * *

Another dead end.

Nyx sighed, and gently closed the cover of the last travel log before shoving it aside into a large pile of equally useless reference books.

At this point, she really was not surprised. Artifact seekers were eccentric at the best of times, and the places this particular set of travel logs covered were locations she had already visited herself at one point or another.

None would lead to the Mirror of Truth, her personal project for the last decade or so. To say chasing false leads for so long was becoming tiresome would be an understatement. She leaned back into the stiff-backed wooden chair and sighed again, brushing aside unkempt long black hair before she rubbed her tired eyes, aching from how long she had spent reading again.

She was running out of new leads.

Not for the first time, she recognized that she could be pursuing something that did not exist. From what few notes she had been able to gather, the earliest legends of the Mirror dated to before the founding of Nohr and Hoshido.

However, the Mirror was never the only artifact in those legends, and each one sounded more far-fetched than the last. She honestly doubted many of them even existed outside the fantasies of those who wrote about them.

A grumble echoed from her stomach. Right. She had forgotten to eat something this morning.

Again.

She scooped up her own journal from out of the pile of books and tucked it into her satchel before she looped the strap - modified for her short height, of course - over her head to settle it on her shoulder. She hopped off the chair before taking her cloak from the back of the chair and wrapped it around a plain black tunic and dark green trousers, falling towards sturdy leather walking boots.

Even like this, she likely looked like a glorified child dressing up in clothes meant for adults.

As she began trekking out of the fairly modest library, she pointedly ignored the stares the few other patrons gave her. Let them think what they want about her; she really could not care less. Despite her physical appearance, she was no child worried about her reputation; she was long past that.

Passing out of the library, the relatively sleepy streets of Notre Sagesse were more active than normal. A quick glance towards the city's faraway port revealed the reason. A large vessel, which had not been there this morning, was moored in the harbor from the east side of the docks, and if she squinted, Nyx could see dockworkers busy unloading crates of cargo.

On her way to the market, she passed a group of men, likely on break, engrossed in conversation. They paused as she passed, took one look at her as she went by before completely ignoring her. It was one advantage, she supposed, of looking like a child. People rarely paid her much attention, so she could easily eavesdrop if she wanted.

"Did you hear? Another prospective group just arrived on the trading vessel to seek the blessing of the Rainbow Sage."

Nyx snorted. Rainbow Sage was such a ridiculous sounding title no matter how many times she heard it.

"Ha! How long d'ya think they'll last?"

"Ten gold pieces says that they don't even make the climb up."

"I'll take that bet. You in as well?"

"I dunno. They look kinda hardy, more so than your usual group if you ask me."

"Scared you'll lose your coin to me?"

Nyx rolled her eyes, moving on. This sort of talk was typical here; rumors about the Sevenfold Sanctuary and its supposed caretaker milled about the town like wildfire. Though, it was not as if there was much else of interest going on in the island port town of Notre Sagesse.

The smell of cooking food brought Nyx out of her thoughts, and her stomach rumbled in anticipation. Eventually, she chose a vendor at a stall selling some sort of meat-filled bun. The vendor raised an eyebrow at her, likely wondering what a child was doing alone here.

Thankfully, as usual, money talked louder, and he handed over the wrapped meat bun without any issue. "You enjoy it, young lady."

Internally she scoffed. She was not young. However, there was no reason to make a fuss, and she smiled a fake smile at the street vendor as she left. It was far easier to just let people assume she was the age she looked; no need to recount her life's story to everyone she met.

She was used to her stature at this point, but that did not mean she enjoyed it. She hopped up on to a bench near to the vendor and started eating. As usual, her feet skimmed annoyingly just out of reach of the ground.

What should she do next? The public records here seemed like a waste of her time, and the supposed artifact expert in town had taken one look at her and slammed the door. She did not have the funds to make him talk either.

She was nearly finished with her food before she stopped and tensed, the remaining part of the meat bun nearly to her mouth.

Her eyes flicked over to an old man sitting casually next to her on the bench, looking out into the street.

There had not been anyone sitting next to her a moment ago.

Had she really been so distracted that she did not notice someone sitting down next to her? No, that felt unlikely. She bit down into the meat bun and eyed him carefully. Neat, long grey hair, impressive mustache and beard, wrinkled face. He looked relatively harmless, nor had he moved to attack her, but as she knew, looks could mean little.

Her free hand crept down towards her the front, easily accessible pocket of her satchel, the home of her current battle tome. Just in case he tried something.

"I have no intention of harming you." The old man did not move, nor did he turn to face her as he stated it. Her hand kept going, heedless, as she brought out the tome, feeling the familiar thrum of the anima magic of the tome connecting to her own magic. Better safe than dead or violated.

He casually shifted a polished staff made of gnarled, dark wood in the grip of one hand, the other tapping a rhythm onto the faded green robe he wore. Instinct told her he did not simply use the staff as a simple walking stick.

Nyx glanced around, at the people walking by in the afternoon sun. None seemed to take any interest in either of them. Odd, seeing as the physical age disparity would have normally drawn at least a strange look or two.

"What do you want?" She took the last bite of the bun, dusting off crumbs from her lap with her free hand, freeing it up for casting.

"Hmm," the old man rumbled and finally turned to face her. "Quite the layered question, young lady. It would take quite some time to answer that fully. What do you believe I want?"

She scowled in annoyance as she swallowed the last of her meal. "I meant with me."

"Ah, well why did you not say so in the first place?" The man seemed amused at her irritation. He rapped a finger against his staff. "I need your help."

"Sorry." She was not sorry. "Not really interested. I have a full plate already." She scooted off the bench. Tucking her tome under her arm, she started to walk away.

"You seek the Mirror of Truth."

It was not a question.

Nyx stopped in her tracks, before she quickly turned back, going through a mental list of potential spells and curses to cast.

"However, I can tell you that your quest for the Mirror is pointless."

Her free hand clenched into a fist. "What gives you the right to decide if what someone else seeks is meaningless?"

He shook his head, and let out a chuckle. "You misunderstand me. Your efforts to find the Mirror are pointless because it has already been destroyed. Shattered."

Nyx narrowed her eyes. "Those are empty words without proof."

The old man shrugged. "I know because I did the deed myself. Its essence has already been remade into something else."

"Really." She doubted the truthfulness of the statement, but even so, her curiosity was peaked. This was the first time she had heard something like this. However, she did not relax her guard. No sense being careless. "And what was it made into?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I can hardly give you all my secrets for free."

Nyx scoffed. "Of course you can't." She hesitated a moment before pressing on. "You said you needed me to do something for you. What would you want the help of someone like me for?"

"You are the witch of the lost town of Navall. The demon who terrorized innocents for her own twisted experiments. The cursed child."

How did he know about that? "The cursed child has been dead for a long time."

He nodded. "Indeed. And, in that time, they have spent much of it seeking atonement. Though you carry those titles, those burdens with you, you are not the same person. Quite the noble effort to be sure. Yet ill-gained or not, the woman who stands in her place has extensive experience. Experience I could use."

"You know an awful lot about something that happened decades ago." She searched her memory for this man but came up blank. "Do I know you?"

"Not personally, no. Nevertheless, like you, I am cursed. You are not as young as you appear to be, and I am a great deal older than I look. Both of us have done deeds for which we seek to make amends." He paused a moment. "Not to mention, those marks," he gestured to the runes on her cheeks and forehead, "are quite distinctive to those who know what to look for."

A gust of wind stirred. The old man's robe fluttered, but it was an almost imperceptibly delayed reaction. His shadow was not quite aligned in the way it should be. Realization came quickly.

"You are an illusion." How had she not spotted it earlier? She must have been getting rusty. If that was the case, that meant she was not in any real danger, at least not from physical sources. "No, you are casting a localized one in the area around us." Was that why no one was paying them any mind?

"But I am very much real, just not here." The illusion stood, planting the staff firmly on the ground, or rather, making it look like it was. The sound it made was almost frighteningly realistic. "I cannot force you to do anything, but if you wish to pursue this, you need only come to the Sevenfold Sanctuary."

"And what would I need to do in return? I assume you aren't doing this simply out of the kindness of your heart."

He chuckled. "Quite so. As I said before, I need your help." His expression turned serious. "Something is very wrong with the world, something that even in my long years I have never encountered before."

"Could you be any more vague?"

"Yes."

She rolled her eyes. "Then I assume you want my help studying this ambiguous threat of yours?"

"In essence, yes. Even if it is just a fresh set of eyes, anything would help. In return, I will answer your own questions about the Mirror. And, if you find my answers prove unsatisfactory, well. Age has some advantages, and over the years, I have amassed quite an interesting collection. Perhaps you will find some answer there."

"Let me think it over." It was a tempting offer, but there was a lingering question. "Who are you, anyway?"

He laughed heartily. "I believe it should be quite easy to piece together who I am." She blinked and the old man was gone, the illusion dispelled.

Well, she was not lacking in time, so she could at least check it out. If nothing else, it would allow her some solitude, time away from people's eyes and, assuming the old man had not been lying, access to a collection of sorts and answers about the Mirror.

She glanced towards the distant mountain to the west of the city and the ornate building, looking no larger than a dot from this distance. The Sevenfold Sanctuary.

So the Rainbow Sage wanted her help with something _,_  did he? Well, it had to be better than just twiddling her thumbs. She started walking.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah the introduction of Corrin, Shura and Nyx. Should be easy to guess which one the crew will be encountering first. For Anna and co., this chapter serves more as an interlude but is no less important. Rest assured that the other characters we saw in Izumo are not idle, nor is the rest of the world.
> 
> A note: Confusion at certain things is kind of expected. No one character has all the answers yet. However, there are hints scattered throughout.
> 
> Truth is often more simple than you think.


	13. Amiss

**Chapter 13 - Amiss**

* * *

A brush tugged rhythmically through her hair, mixed with the patter of gentle rain on the glass windows of the fortress. She adored the mix of the two, since they never failed to get her to relax.

Even so, her lips tugged down into a frown.

"You seem a bit sullen, Lady Corrin."

Corrin opened her eyes, and in the mirror of her vanity, she saw Flora briefly pause in the midst brushing, running through a tangle in her long hair, still slightly damp from a recent bath. "Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Well." She resumed brushing. "Normally when one of your siblings comes to visit, you're so enthusiastic. It's strange to find you with such a gloomy look on your face, especially while they're still here."

Had it really been that obvious? Probably not, but Flora was fairly perceptive. She let a smile inch on to her face. "Sorry."

"No need to apologize. It's only natural for me to be worried."

Sometimes she felt that was all her retainers did, each in their own ways. Flora was always the most direct in talking about it aside from Gunter. Corrin let out a sigh. "I guess I'm just lost in thought today."

A hum came from Flora as she set the brush aside and carefully started styling it. A long moment passed, with only the rain and the slight tug on her head filling the silence. "Care to share what's on your mind?"

Corrin lightly bit her lip, closing her eyes again. Camilla had only been here two days, but was already readying to leave tomorrow. Apparently there was talk of unrest and possible rebellion in Cheve, and Camilla was traveling there to address grievances, but more likely as a show of force.

Given that Corrin had heard something similar happen with the ice tribe, the latter seemed more likely. It was probably for the best if she didn't say anything to Flora, given Flora's background. Bringing it up would just incite conflict that Corrin wanted to avoid if she could.

Yet it wasn't the fact that Camilla was  _going_  that left her brooding. People would come and go from the Northern fortress, always the same people, but people nonetheless.

She alone remained.

Always.

"Don't worry about it Flora. I'll be fine."

"If you say so, Lady Corrin." Corrin felt the feel of a clip holding a braid in place on the left side of her head, followed by the ponytail falling to the side and, in her mind's eye imagined it just in her field of vision on her right. "There. All done."

Corrin opened her eyes, checking the vanity's mirror. It looked exactly as she knew it would. Her preferred style, since it kept it from being unruly or getting in her way during combat. It looked nice too.

"Thank you, Flora, it's wonderful."

A small smile of satisfaction crept up on Flora's face, before quickly vanishing. "Is there anything else you need, Lady Corrin?"

"No, that's all. I know you have other things to attend to."

Flora set the hair-styling tools back into their drawer in the vanity as Corrin stood. "You do as well. Best not be late."

Corrin nodded. "Right."

Flora let off a small curtsy, before moving to open and hold the door for her. Corrin moved through and waved before they went in separate directions.

As she walked, the sound of the rain became more noticeable out in the corridors. The storm from the east was unexpected, but welcome, since their water supply had begun to be stretched thin over the last few weeks. The man-made underground reservoir underneath the fortress funneled in rainwater from above through a clever series of ducts, mixed with the power of gravity. It stood as a testament to Nohrian ingenuity.

"Ah, there you are, milady."

Corrin looked her side just as Jakob fell into step easily beside her, readily balancing a tea set in the crook of one arm, with the other resting behind his back. "I was just about ready to come fetch you. Flora is already attending to her next duty, correct?"

"Yes. Did Camilla send you?"

"But of course, and I took the opportunity to gather some refreshment on the way. Now, we shan't keep the lady waiting, lest my head roll, yes?"

Corrin stopped, tilting her head in a curious look. "Was that a joke?"

He raised an eyebrow, returning her look with an impassive face, but she saw a glint of humor in his eyes. "I'm sure I have no idea what you mean, milady." He turned started walking again. "Now, chop-chop, or the tea will be ruined."

She rolled her eyes, but followed anyways. "Only you would focus on that, Jakob."

"You wouldn't be rolling your eyes if you realized that nations have been built and destroyed on how their tea was served."

"I did  _not_  roll my eyes."

"And I'm afraid your protests fall on ears that know when milady is fibbing." He stopped short of a door. "Here we are."

He knocked, and after a few moments, it partially opened to reveal a redhead with hair styled into twin tails; one of Camilla's retainer's, Selena.

The retainer scowled at Jakob. "You again?"

Jakob bristled somewhat at the rude greeting, but remained poised. "Lady Corrin is here to see Lady Camilla."

Selena glanced over towards Corrin, and Corrin gave a small smile at the attention. Selena gave her an unimpressed stare in return.

Regardless, she opened the door fully and ushered everyone inside, revealing Camilla walking up to greet them. Jakob went off to the side and began preparing the tea in an art that was mostly lost on Corrin.

Selena grabbed a stack of parchment from the table situated in the center of the room before she moved to leave. Camilla stopped her. "Selena dear, if you'd like, you can stay for tea?"

She hesitated, and for a moment Corrin thought that she was going to accept. "I wouldn't want to get in the way of time with your sister, Lady Camilla." Was that a note of bitterness in her voice?

"Oh, nonsense, dear. You and Beruka need to relax more often. I do worry that I push both of you too hard."

"I appreciate the offer," she flipped one of the twin tails over her shoulder, "but I've got things to do before we leave tomorrow."

"Of course, darling. We'll have plenty of time to finish our talk later on our way to Cheve."

"Don't be a stranger," Corrin called.

Selena let out a 'hmph,' before closing the door behind her with more force than was necessary. What was that about?

"Don't worry about her Corrin. She's just stressed about something is all." Camilla laid a hand on her shoulder, guiding her to the table. "Come, sit down, we still have so much to catch up on."

As they sat, Jakob came over and served the tea, a blend that she was unfamiliar with, but enjoyed nonetheless. She let the wonderful aroma seep into her nose a moment before she blew carefully over the steaming liquid, taking a sip.

"It's wonderful, Jakob." The butler let out a genuine smile before retreating a respectful distance to the side of the room away from them, ever poised in case they needed something.

The conversation moved through the unfortunately familiar rhythm of Camilla simultaneously doting on her while telling her about her recent exploits in the town of Macarath. Though she suffered through the doting, typically she would love to hear news that came with anyone of her siblings. Yet throughout, Corrin found herself distracted.

"Is something the matter, Corrin? You seem preoccupied."

"Huh?" Wow, it seemed like everyone was taking notice of that today. "You think so?"

"Well, I'm your big sister, so of course I would notice it. Are you sad to see me off again?"

"Well, yes, that's part of it, I suppose." She hesitated, irritation bubbling to the surface. She was frustrated, mostly. She'd always been frustrated that she was forbidden to leave. Frustrated that she couldn't take direct action to help in the war effort to eventually bring unification and peace.

"I just-"

A knock on the door interrupted her. Jakob moved to check who it was, before opening it, revealing Camilla's other retainer, Beruka, looking as stoic as always.

"News for you, Lady Camilla." Corrin saw Beruka's eyes flick over to her, then back to Camilla, who simply nodded. Apparently whatever it was wasn't personal. Beruka stepped forward, setting an envelope sealed by wax bearing the Nohrian royal sigil on the table. "Communication by wyvern rider bearing news from Izumo."

"Oh?" Camilla raised an eyebrow as she picked up the thin envelope, peeling away the wax and taking out the parchment enclosed within.

Corrin leaned forward, eager. "Izumo? Wasn't Leo going there? Is that from him?"

"Mmm. That seems to be the case." Her eyes darted side-to-side quickly, and as she read, a look of focus appeared on Camilla's face that Corrin didn't usually see. "Hmm, this could be an issue."

"What happened?"

She set the paper down. "The archduke of Izumo, Izana, was assassinated on the last day of Izumo's Festival of Spring."

Corrin's eyes widened. "Assassinated? That wasn't what Leo was sent there to do…right?"

Camilla let out a throaty chuckle. "No. Leo is many things, but stealthy is not one of them. This," she tapped the parchment, "wasn't a Nohrian operation, even though it could work in our favor. Rather, Leo is saying that the deed was done by another party, seemingly unaffiliated with any of the nations, led by a dangerous man that his retainer named Robin."

"Robin?" She turned the name over in her mind, but came up blank.

"I'm not familiar with the name either, though it seems that the late archduke warned Leo about him the night of his death."

"That's…eerie."

"Yes. Unfortunately, before Robin or his accomplices could even be questioned, they escaped the very next day."

"Escaped? So they're still out there?" Corrin looked down, and worry tinged with frustration bubbled in her chest. "That's awful. I hope Leo's alright."

Camilla stood and moved around behind her laying a hand on her shoulder. "Oh don't you worry dear. He's already on his way back to Windmire, and you know as well as I do that our brother can take care of himself."

"I…guess that's right."

"What's the matter? You know you can tell your big sister."

"I just." Corrin let out an exasperated sigh. The thrill thrummed lightly under her skin. "I should be out there doing something. Maybe I could have been there to help Leo, or to help you or Xander on the front lines. _Something._ "

"That's not your place right now, Corrin. You need to-"

Something in her snapped. "Keep training? And when will it be enough, Camilla? I've been training just as hard as all of you for most of my life, more so than any regular soldier of Nohr. My ability is being wasted here. I'm ready to help, not twiddle my thumbs."

The look of surprise on Camilla's face gave her a twisted sense of satisfaction.

Corrin blinked, and her face flushed, and she looked away, embarrassed at her outburst. Camilla giggled and laid a hand on her cheek. "My, my. When did my sweet little Corrin grow up?"

She turned away from the touch. "I have a lot of time to think."

"I know dear. But you know I have no say over when Father decides you're ready. Now isn't the right time. Be patient, Father will have something for you before too long. If you'd like, I'll even pressure him next time I see him. Promise." Camilla laced her arms around her, giving a hug.

Corrin leaned into the embrace, but in the back of her mind, she knew how likely it was that nothing would come of this. She felt more than ready to take on the challenges of being a princess of a kingdom like Nohr, to help its people.

So why did Father refuse to allow her outside the borders of the Northern Fortress? She'd studied history, tactics, and politics. What was she lacking? It certainly couldn't be her ability with the sword. She knew really  _was_  that good.

What was she missing?

She slipped out of the embrace. Beruka left, and the conversation turned once again to mundane matters, but the frustration remained.

The thrill pulsed underneath her skin in a rhythmic warble.

* * *

"And that's how Anna completely took over Cyrkensia's black market trade."

"Seriously?" Kaden looked to Anna's perch on a fallen log, set near their current campsite's fire pit. A few rabbits that Kaden had caught were roasting over a makeshift spit, spiced with herbs he'd scavenged along the way. "And no one even realized it?"

"That's what she told me."

"Sheesh, remind me not to get on her bad side next time I'm there."

"Yeah, some of my sisters can be a little…intense when it comes to our trade. You have anyone in your family that's like that?"

He looked away from her. "You could say that."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

He stiffened a moment, before relaxing. "Let's just say we aren't on good terms and leave it there." He didn't look at her while he said it, but she saw his cloak twitch where his tail would be underneath.

"Oh, um sorry. I didn't mean to be rude."

"That's unusual for you." He waved it off with a dismissive hand. "Whatever, it's fine. You were just making conversation."

Clearly it was not fine.

But if Kaden didn't want to talk about it, she wasn't going to force him.

She sat in awkward silence, broken only by the crackling of the flames and the occasional hiss when the juices of the meat slipped into the coals, making the flames momentarily flare. The wind picked up, and Anna glanced up above at the sky, noting the sparse clouds. At least it didn't seem like it would rain tonight; the storm-front had moved westward a couple days ago.

Robin eventually made his way back carrying a bundle of wood, just as Kaden started carving off chunks of the rabbit to serve.

"You were able to find dry wood?"

"Thankfully." He set down the bundle and began wrapping it in twine, before lashing it to his pack, storing the bundle away for future kindling. "Food's ready then?"

"Yup. It's not my best, but well." She saw his eyes shift over to Robin. "To be honest, anything's better than what you made last night, Robin. Just thinking about makes me…" He trailed off shuddering.

Anna's stomach did a flip-flop just thinking about the abomination Robin had concocted and called 'food.' She, and especially Kaden had refused to touch it. "The worst part about it was that you actually ate the whole thing."

Kaden's face scrunched up in disgust and he stuck out his tongue while making a noise like a gag. "Ugh, stop. Please don't remind me."

She accepted a portion of the meat from Kaden in small wooden bowl. Robin sat down on the log next to her, and did the same. "Food's fuel. I'm really not picky."

"That's putting it lightly," she muttered, before taking a bite. The taste was savory, and the herbs reminded her of mint. It was an unusual but not entirely unpleasant flavor, if a bit gamey. Stew would have been better, but they were low on supplies.

Kaden wrinkled his nose, taking some rabbit of his own. "You either have an iron stomach or no sense of taste."

Robin shrugged as he took a bite of the roasted meat, showing the exact same amount of enthusiasm in the way he ate his 'concoction' from last night. "To be fair, I did warn you that I'm a lousy cook."

"And I should have believed you." Kaden jabbed his fork towards him. Regardless, you're never going on cooking duty again, for all of our sakes."

"Fine by me."

The sun dipped below the horizon as they finished the meal. The sounds of insects mixed with the rustling of new leaves waving in the light cool wind filled in the companionable silence.

Eventually, Kaden started carefully packing away the remains of the rabbits while she cleaned the wooden bowls and forks. She glanced over to Robin, in the midst of setting up his bedroll.

Now would be the perfect time to ask.

"So, we've got a little less than a day's walk to the next village, right Robin?" she asked in what she hoped was a casual manner.

That was not the question she wanted to ask.

She knew that, and internally, she berated her cowardice.

He glanced at her and nodded. "Right. Hopefully, it's both far away and small enough that word about our bounties hasn't gotten there yet, but we should be careful regardless. In and out for supplies, and to check for correspondence from one of your sisters."

"I doubt they would've come up with something this quickly. It's barely been a full week. They're good, but not  _that_ good."

"Better be careful not to let them hear you say that."

She glanced up from washing the last wooden bowl she was cleaning. "Are you…joking?" His face was still impassive, which made it tough to tell.

He raised his eyebrows, his face otherwise still very neutral. "Am I not allowed to?"

"No, no, it's fine, it's just, I don't think I've seen you even try to crack a joke before now."

"I'll have you know that I'm a very funny guy."

Was he still joking? "Have you heard yourself talk? You almost always sound so serious."

He shrugged. "I can't help it if all my humor goes over your head."

"Uh-huh." She set the bowl aside. She paused, as another opportunity for a question presented itself. "Before, back in Izumo, you said your home country was called…Plegia, right?"

Wrong question again.

It could still lead into it if she tried, though.

"What about it?" Robin asked.

"Well, what was it like?"

He finished unrolling the bedroll. "Horrible. Plegia is a mix between deserts, wastes and mountains, with the occasional source of life in oases and underground springs. Combined with the fact that it was run by a fanatical religious group bent on reviving a fell dragon, it's not exactly a place I enjoy remembering."

"Oh."

"Yeah." He lay back on the bedroll, hands laced behind his head, looking up at the sky. "My mother was involved with them, but not too long after she had me, she got me out of there as soon as she thought I was old enough to be on the run. She died a few years later in an ambush, and I was on my own for years after that until I joined up with the Shepherds."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It was a long time ago. You had nothing to do with it." He moved his head to look at her. "So, what did you really want to ask?"

She froze. "I…what do you mean?"

"You've been dancing around asking me something since we met up in Albah. Just ask it already if you want to know so badly."

Finally.

"And here I thought I was being subtle," she muttered. Well, where to begin? "For starters, what were you were looking for in the Izumo library? Were you looking for Plegia or something on the maps there?"

Robin raised an eyebrow. "I was trying to find something geographically familiar, yes. Geographically, all I could say for sure was that this land, this continent, isn't one that I'm familiar with."

"So Plegia really isn't here? Maybe that means it's on another continent not on the maps or something?"

"Maybe, but somehow, I doubt that. Anything else is pure speculation, and at the moment, there's not much point in worrying about it. When I failed to find anything familiar, I started looking for anything I could find on Anankos. As you know there was nothing on that either. Just legends of what they called the First Dragons."

"You mean like the Dawn and Dusk Dragons?" She was really wishing she hadn't dismissed those legends so easily now. Maybe she should buy a book about them.

Robin nodded and sat up. "Right. In the end, my research was inconclusive, not to mention cut short." He paused, before calling out. "You know, it really doesn't take that long to put away leftover meat. The eavesdropping is unnecessary, Kaden."

Anna looked up to see Kaden straighten, hand rubbing the back of his neck. "Ah, sorry. I just, you know, think I should listen since this affects me as well, not just you two."

Robin shrugged. "It wasn't exactly a private conversation anyways. Pull up a log, or your bedroll if you want. Even though you're on first watch, it wouldn't hurt to get it set up, yeah?"

"Sure." She saw a smile creep up on his face. "Mostly, I'm just glad I didn't need to bang your heads together to make you guys talk again."

Robin's eyes narrowed threateningly. "Do that again and my horrible cooking will be the least of your worries."

Kaden let out a laugh and went retrieve his bedroll from his pack, and after stowing away the dishes in hers, Anna did the same. They ended up with a loose triangle of bedrolls around the coals of the fire pit.

Kaden took initiative. "So, what did happen after you disappeared?"

"Like I said before, I'm not certain I know for sure what happened."

Anna's tilted her head, confused. "Didn't you say you knew something back in the Izumo prison?"

Robin wagged a finger at her. "I said I had hypothesis on what happened, just speculation. That's a big difference from actually knowing. Usually, I like to have better conclusions than I do now before I talk about things like this. Speculation just breeds needless confusion."

She saw Kaden's ears twitch in a way that she was coming to associate with annoyance. "I don't like being kept in the dark as much as anyone, but if we're going to do this, we need to know everything thing you do, speculation or not."

"You aren't doing this by yourself anymore," she added, looking pointedly into his eyes. She disappeared with him after all.

"Fair enough." Robin interlinked his fingers underneath his chin and stared into the dying coals a long moment. "The short answer is that I don't know."

"And the long answer?" Kaden asked.

"This could take a bit. You remember the night in Anna's safe house, right?"

She winced. "How could we forget?"

"As we were talking, I started feeling something," he tapped the side of his head with his gloved hands, "like a tug in my head." He took a stick from the pile beside the fire pit and started poking at the coals, stirring up embers.

"At the time, I chalked it up to feeling awful from magically exhausting myself earlier. But when I think back on it, it should've been obvious. The feeling was similar to a curse being cast, but far more powerful than something your average dark mage could do."

Kaden spoke up. "Didn't you say you were hearing something before you collapsed?"

"Right. It sounded like the violent waves of an ocean in the midst of a storm. And then right after that, as you know, I collapsed in pain."

"So Anankos sent a powerful dark mage to cast a powerful curse on you?"

"Maybe, but I feel that the wards on your safe house would have likely been enough to repel or at least interfere with a mage casting a curse." His finger started tapping his chin. "Unless…"

"Unless?"

Robin stood and started pacing back and forth in a line. "It wasn't cast."

"What do you mean by that?"

He stopped pacing to look at them. "I mean that it wasn't directly cast at me at the time, or rather, that it wasn't a curse that was cast from a mage. It's likely that there was some sort of trigger for it. But what?"

So curses could be set in advance with a trigger? She hadn't known that, though it wasn't as though studying magic was particularly useful to her. A thought graced her mind. "Maybe it had something to do with the invisible soldiers we fought? Maybe if they hit you, it did something to cause it?"

Robin sat back down, tossing the stick into the coals before leaning back onto his hands. "That's not a bad thought, but I was never hit during that fight. Besides, if that were the case, Kaden would have disappeared as well, not to mention he and Nina fought the invisible soldiers again with the archduke with no ill effect. That night at the safehouse, I think it was only me who triggered it, but I'm unsure what exactly I did to do it."

She saw Kaden cross his arms. "Alright, so that that explains why you and Anna disappeared. It was part of this curse, or whatever, right?"

Robin kneaded his brow and sighed. "And that's where things get confusing. I don't think this curse from Anankos, or whatever it was, caused that."

She saw Kaden's brow furrow. "What do you mean? I mean, what else would it have been, if not that? What makes you so sure?"

"I grew up surrounded by dark mages. Trust me when I say I have extensive experience in dealing with curses. Regardless, when I tried to throw off the curse, something strange happened." He faced her. "First, you grabbed me, right Anna?"

"Yeah." Anna nodded slowly, a little surprised. What did that have to do with this? "I, well." She swallowed. "I wanted to do something to help. You were screaming. But I froze when I saw your arm. It was like it was see-through. Dissolving."

"So that's why it was so painful," he muttered, before speaking normally again. "It wasn't just my left arm. I'll spare you the details, but trust me, it hurt. I'm reasonably certain that that was part of whatever Anankos was doing. I moved to try and counter it, but then something else occurred."

"That was when you and Anna just disappeared, right?"

He furrowed his brow and gave Kaden an odd look. "Is that what it looked like to you?"

"Well, yeah I think. It happened really quickly, but from what I remember, one moment you were there, and the next you and Anna were just gone. Poof. Not a trace of either of you left. Maybe there was a flash of light in there somewhere? I dunno. Was it different for you?"

Robin nodded. "To me, it looked like the world froze, blurred. You weren't moving, Kaden, but I could hear Anna screaming. There was a sensation like I was being ripped apart from the inside, and then for a while, nothing."

"That sounds familiar."

Robin turned his head to face her. "So you experienced something similar, Anna?"

She fidgeted with her fingers a bit. "I think so. It was so sudden and painful that it's difficult to remember, but that sounds right."

Kaden pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm so confused. So…it  _wasn't_  this curse, or whatever that caused you and Anna to disappear then?"

"That's what I think. It felt like something different. Maybe both are related in some way, but I don't understand what the connection is, if there even was one. Maybe the curse acted like a catalyst, but I doubt it was the cause."

"So then what happened after that? I thought you had died or were transported away or something, but obviously, well." He gestured to them.

"It's difficult to find the words to describe it. It was like…" Robin trailed off, and looked to her, like he was looking for inspiration.

"Like riding a storm?" she ventured.

"Hmm. Somewhat. Maybe more like standing in the eye of a storm, a place where everything that happened there made sense, even though, when I think about it now, I know it was anything but that."

"So you remember what happened?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Most of it, no, and I feel like I would go mad if I tried. Eventually, I was able to find you, Anna, talk with you, but it was…odd. Something was definitely wrong with the perspective. And at the end you stuck your hand  _inside_  your head."

A long silence followed that. She had done that? She searched through her memories, but came up short. Well, no. That wasn't right, since it seemed vaguely familiar, but why would, not to mention how, would she do that?

"She…what? Inside her head? You're sure?"

Robin nodded. "Yes. That's one part I can remember clearly. I tried to stop her, but not only was it like I couldn't do anything, she wasn't entirely cognizant."

"Cognizant?"

He turned to Kaden. "Like she wasn't aware of her surroundings. I knew that we needed to get out. There was a feeling of nothing again and the next thing I knew, we were in a corridor in front of the archduke of Izumo. After that, you know what happened."

Kaden glanced away. "You killed the archduke to heal Anna." Clearly he still didn't know what to think about that. Then again, she didn't really either. "What was going on with her exactly?"

Robin gestured towards her right arm. "You know those new scars you have?"

"Of course." Her left hand went to rub her right. How could she not?

"Whatever happened at the end there likely caused some sort of backlash. The archduke called it a curse, and that you were going to die from it. I'm not so sure it was as simple as that. "

She frowned. "Wait, you talked with him?"

"Briefly, yes. You were there, awake, sort of, but I don't think you could tell what was going on. Curse or not, it was advancing up the same arm you stuck in your head. Sad to say, when I used the archduke's energy to 'heal' you, it only seemed to make it advance quicker."

"But if that's the case, then, how am I still alive?"

"This is going to sound strange, but your entire body…" he waved his hand around as if searching for the right word, "flickered for a moment. And when it stopped, there were only those grey scars remaining."

"So what was that, the flickering?"

Silence hung in the air, and the wood of the fire popped, loudly, sending up embers in the night.

"I don't know."

* * *

The ebb and flow of the pond mixed with feeling of rain falling on Corrin's skin soothed her. It always had. The small pond in the boundaries of Northern Fortress during the rain was her favorite spot to think because of it.

In her mind she knew that Jakob would have a fit if he saw her just standing out here like this, especially since she had snuck out from under his care. How long had she been standing there? It felt like hours, even though it couldn't have been more than a few minutes.

Even so, it was nice. The rain had a rhythm to it that helped her think.

In some part of her mind, Corrin always knew something about her was wrong.

When she was younger, she had asked Gunter why no one else she knew had ears that went into points like hers. He had simply paused in his instruction on swordplay.

" _That is a question I cannot answer, milady."_

" _What do you mean?"_

" _It means that I do not know the reason, nor should you concern yourself with it either. Now focus."_

Of course, being young, she had asked everyone else anyways. But eventually, when no one could answer, not even her oldest brother Xander, who was one of the wisest people she knew, she had stopped asking.

A small, traitorous part of her had wondered if it wasn't because they didn't have the answer, but because they were lying to her. Keeping the truth because they thought she shouldn't know. That it was the reason she was kept sequestered away from everyone.

In the end, she had shoved those thoughts down. They were likely just as in the dark as she was, right? Besides, she loved her family, and they loved her in return when they visited. She didn't want thoughts like those to come in-between them, or for them to stop visiting.

Another day passed by.

Lessons, training, studying.

Waiting, thinking.

And then months, years.

But she never forgot those thoughts, and on days like today, those questions ate away at her.

Her same concerns, her same frustrations at not being able to leave persisted. Father had once sent assurances that it was all for the best of Nohr, that in time she would leave, once she was ready. Her retainers, her brothers and sisters, offered similar reassurances.

But in the end, none of them gave answers. Did anyone have those answers? If they didn't, she wouldn't find that here, always confined to the Northern Fortress.

A stray thought floated through her mind. Hadn't she once tried to escape?

Right, when she was little, a boy about her age had come to visit. And by the Dusk Dragon they had tried to go outside the boundaries of the fortress for a picnic, hadn't they? She had almost forgotten that. They hadn't gotten very far, caught red-handed by Gunter. Yet, even back then, she had reveled at the chance to go.

The thrill thrummed under her skin.

But it wasn't a simple matter of getting out. As she had learned, there were powerful wards set up, keyed to her to prevent her from leaving until they were lifted, likely by Father himself. Invisible boundaries that she could not cross.

So, for now, she would take what little freedoms she could get. Even if it was just standing in the rain by the pond in the Northern Fortress. Even if in the end, she was still trapped.

It was naïve, she knew it wouldn't happen, but for a brief moment, she terribly, desperately wanted out.

The thrill sung a beautiful song, reveling in the drive for freedom, and for a moment, she let it envelope her.

Breathe in.

Out.

Opening her eyes, reality came crashing back down, and she felt slightly foolish, and a little tired, standing out in the rain like this. Jakob was probably worried about her. She turned away from the pond to go back.

A glint caught her eye. She stopped; turned back.

Her eyes narrowed in confusion. What was that? Like a light beneath the water. Had that been there before? It was beautiful. She stepped forward, getting a closer look, transfixed, uncaring that she was getting fully soaked now.

The thrill urged her onward.

She didn't notice when she slipped underneath the water. Dimly, she was aware of someone calling her name from behind her, from above the surface.

Down.

Down.

Down.

Some part of her realized that the pond wasn't this deep. But when she tried to go back up, the pull was too strong.

Too late. Her lungs burned with the need for air. Was she going to drown? No. Something instinctive told her that this wasn't the case, so long as she kept going down.

She went deeper. The light overtook her.

And she fell.

Her remaining air rushed out of her in a feeling like getting kicked in the gut while her heart thumped wildly in her chest. The thrill echoed throughout her head as her vision went white, her ears popping, filling with the sound of rushing waves.

It ended abruptly, and with a feeling like surfacing. She hit solid ground, and in a moment, it felt like all her energy was driven out of her in a large rush, like squeezing a sponge.

Her head hit grass and darkness greeted her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Corrin chooses a different option. Fifth?


	14. Apprehension

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think I've said it enough. You guys are awesome.

**Chapter 14 – Apprehension**

* * *

Corrin was out wandering again, and as was typical while Lady Camilla was at the Northern Fortress – and sometimes when she wasn't – Selena and Beruka took turns shadowing Corrin discretely; supposedly to make sure she didn't do anything rash. Tonight, it was Selena's turn.

Honestly, Selena thought it was unnecessary. Where could she go? Whatever. It made Lady Camilla happy.

Unfortunately, tonight, it was raining, and the drizzle made Selena's mood, which was already foul, turn toward miserable. She let out an annoyed huff and crossed her arms, returning her gaze to her charge.

Corrin was just standing out there in the rain like an idiot. At least Selena was smart enough to stand underneath an awning.

Though she would never admit it out loud, some part of her felt sorry for the situation Corrin was in. Miserable though Selena's early life had been, watching her world burn – often literally – around her, she was never trapped like Corrin. At least it made it easier to keep tabs on her for now, knowing she would always be at the Northern Fortress.

Selena let out an annoyed sigh. Ugh, it was dull, just watching her standing there, eyes closed, face turned up towards the rain with a slight smile on her face. Was she actually enjoying it?

Maybe it was a manakete thing. Not like Selena actually knew; she had never watched the manaketes she knew like she had Corrin.

Honestly, it was obvious that Corrin was part manakete. Anankos – or as Odin lamely termed it, 'his benign shard,' – had told them so. Of course, even if he hadn't, the pointed ears were a dead giveaway. However, unlike her world, no one here seemed to know what a manakete was. Coming out and telling her that would lead to questions Selena couldn't answer.

Stupid curse. At least Corrin was finally turning to go back inside, away from the cold, gloomy weather.

Wait, no.

She was walking into the pond.

_Corrin was walking into_ _the pond._

Selena broke into a run. "Corrin!"

Corrin didn't even look back as she slipped underneath the water. Could she not hear her?

"Corrin, you idiot, what are you doing?!" She dashed up to the pond, but stopped at its edge, as a light burst up from beneath the surface, temporarily blinding her. What in Naga's name was…?

Focus. Camilla was going to kill her if she didn't at least  _try_  to follow her, or save her, or do something to stop whatever this was. Squinting her eyes at the light, Selena splashed into the cold water, took a breath and dived toward the luminescence to follow her.

Or, tried to.

A few moments later, her hands hit the mud, plants and rocks at the bottom, stirring up a cloud of silt. Even though it looked like she should be able to go further, she couldn't. Far below, she caught a glimpse of Corrin  _past_  the solid bottom of the pond, looking for all the world like she was falling into the ground. What was going on?

The light pulsed from bright to blinding, before it felt like she was being physically thrown backwards into a spin. Her nose burned as water went up it, and she reflexively snorted, letting out more air than she should have. To her side now, the light blinked out, leaving her in dark water.

Her lungs burned with the need for air. Re-orienting herself, she kicked back up.

Surfacing, she spat out pond water, coughing, snorting in an undignified way to get the water out of her nose. She blinked, trying to get rid of the spots in her eyes. She glanced back down into the depths, but whatever that light was, it had vanished, taking Corrin with it.

Corrin was gone.

How was she supposed to explain this?

She swam back to shore, dripping pond water. She probably looked terrible right now with her clothing and hair drenched like this. Her boots squelched with water as she hauled herself out. She peeled off a lily pad sticking to her leg. Ugh. Disgusting.

The sound of boots hitting dirt, and a sharp intake of air.

Selena turned. A short ways away from the pond, a young woman stood, clad in a simple blue dress, dirty apron, sturdy boots caked with muck. Slitted amber eyes, bright azure hair in a simple braid fading to red near the tip. A kerchief on her head covered her ears.

_Wreathed in violet flames, the manakete's dispassionate amber eyes narrowed as she casually caught Severa's blade in her hand, snapping it, and leaving her with just a hilt and the broken base. Inigo darted in, tackling her out of the way of the retaliating strike. Behind them a loud crash echoed, signaling Owain's success at breaking through the barrier. She scrambled to her feet, dragging Inigo with her to the opening._

Her pulse quickened as both fear and anger stirred, welling up to a boiling point. Her eyes narrowed as she took a step forward, her face twisting into a snarl. " _You_."

In one smooth motion, Selena drew her sword and dashed at her. The young woman's eyes bulged as she saw her charging figure and took a step back, her hands palm up. "Wait, stop!"

She ignored her, taking a jab. The girl yelped and stepped out of the way, and ducked under the follow-up swing. Selena lanced out with a kick, and the girl buckled, stumbling back as the wind was knocked out her. Selena pressed the advantage, knocking her down on to her side.

Selena slammed her waterlogged boot down hard into the girl's side, driving the tip of her sword to her neck. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't do it."

"I," she gasped coughing, sucking in air, "I didn't do that!" The fear in her eyes had to be fake, acting.

"Really." She crouched down and grabbed one arm and twisted the wrist into a painful position behind the girl's back, putting the sword closer to her neck. Beruka's methods must have been rubbing off on her; she didn't know how to feel about that.

She leaned in, talking lowly, intensely near the girl's ear, feeling her trembling slightly in her grip. "Why should I believe you when you're the manakete who attacked me and my friends when we first got to this world?" Selena cut off her response, jostling her slightly and earning a cry of pain. " _Don't_  try to deny it. I'd recognize that hair with eyes like yours anywhere, and your kerchief covering your ears isn't going to fool me. What did you do to Corrin?"

"No, please." Were there tears forming around the girls eyes or was that just the rain? "You have it all wrong."

She scoffed. "Really? You work for him, the dragon." She avoided saying Anankos' name out of habit. "I think the conclusion's pretty obvious."

The girl squirmed. "No! I ran away from that. I'm here to watch over and protect Corrin."

"Uh-huh. You did such a  _great_ job doing that."

"I know, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Ugh, she really was crying. If this was a ploy to make her feel bad enough to make her want to let her go, it was working. "Why have I never seen you around the Northern Fortress before now?"

"Because I'm a coward." The girl sniffed, averting her eyes. "Whenever you or your friends were here, I would hide away when you came close. I shouldn't have, but I'm just a coward. I couldn't face any of you."

"So if you're saying you didn't do it, then who did? The dragon?"

"No. Corrin did it herself. I don't know why." She took a shuddering breath. "I was in the middle of cleaning the stables when I felt it happen. I rushed over here as fast as I could, but it was already too late."

"Then you know what that light was, where she went?"

The girl nodded, careful not to let the sword pierce her neck. "Yes, it was a gate to the other place; you know the reason I can't talk about it here."

"Tch." Stupid curse. It could be a trap, and letting her go could be a bad idea. But she had no other avenue of information right now. Intimidating her like this wouldn't get her any father, not to mention she really was starting to feel bad about doing it. The girl hadn't tried to fight back at all.

"Alright, fine then." Selena carefully took her sword away from the girl's neck. "Don't think this means I trust you or anything. Try something and I won't stop to ask questions."

She let go of the girl's arm and straightened, removing her boot from her side. Even so, she kept her sword unsheathed, ready in case she really did try anything. The girl breathed out a shaky sigh of relief, tenderly rubbing her wrist before wiping the tears away from her eyes on the sleeve of her now muddied dress.

She looked so pathetic it made a twinge of guilt rise up in her. She squashed it; right now she needed answers, not pity. "Do you have a name?"

"Lilith."

Ugh. It was such a disarmingly cute name. A far cry from what she would've imagined and farther still from the fanciful titles Odin had thrown around. "Okay, Lilith. What was a gate like that doing here?"

"It wasn't here before. Corrin made it."

"She can do that?"

"Yes, in any large enough pool of water. But those types of gates are only active for as long as the one who made them goes through."

"So I was just too late to go through?" That would be so annoying if that were the case.

Lilith shook her head. "No, I'm pretty sure only someone with clear draconic lineage traced to  _him_  could go through a gate like this."

"You don't sound very confidant. Sure you aren't lying?"

Lilith winced, averting her eyes. "No. I'm sorry. I just don't know. I only ever used one once on my own, to get away from that place, to find Corrin."

"Well then why don't you do it again now and go after her, bring her back?"

Her expression twisted into a mix of what looked like fear and…anxiety? "I…I can't. I'm too weak."

"Too weak?" Selena scoffed. "You caught my sword with your  _bare hands_  and broke it last time we fought." She had  _liked_ that sword. "So tell me, how is that too weak?"

"I gave up most of that power when I severed my connection to him. Otherwise he would've been able to trace me here." There was definitely fear mixed in with her voice.

That would explain why she didn't put up much of a fight. And why there were no violet flames. She'd basically just attacked an innocent stable-hand. That was assuming this was all true and not some elaborate ruse; no ruling that out fully yet.

Her thoughts came to a halt. Was she really becoming that cynical? "So you're not even going to try?" Selena asked.

"I'm sorry," Lilith repeated, bowing her head.

"Ugh. Stop apologizing, already. It's annoying." She sheathed her sword. What was she supposed to do now? Obviously, Camilla needed to at least know that Corrin was missing, but she couldn't tell her everything. She glanced over at Lilith; she couldn't let her out of her sight now either. "Whatever. You're coming with me."

"That makes sense." Lilith nodded, looking resigned as if she'd been expecting it. "I assume you're going to turn me in."

"What? No."

"Huh? But I don't…"

"First we're getting out of this stupid rain, and then we're going to find a way to save Corrin, idiot. What else?"

She had no idea where to start looking, but Lilith was the biggest breakthrough in information in all the years since they'd been here. A direct source about Anankos and Valla. She just needed to get in contact with Odin and Laslow without making it look bad.

And she couldn't reveal to anyone here that she or Lilith knew where Corrin went, all the while keeping an eye on Lilith to make sure it wasn't an act.

Nothing was ever simple.

* * *

"Azura, are you sure? You shouldn't put yourself at risk so often."

"You know I have to go." That she was going to check Anankos' seal in Valla went unsaid out loud, of course. Azura clutched her pendant, feeling the familiar thrum of power where the shard of the dragonstone contacted her fingers. "I am the only one in any position who can."

Going to the Bottomless Canyon was time consuming, risky, and not to mention conspicuous. As far as Azura knew, she was the only one who could travel to Valla freely like she could. Mikoto might be able to go, were she not tied down the duties of running a kingdom.

"I know, and yet…" Mikoto's expression twisted with a familiar sort of worry. It always did whenever she spoke to her of going to Valla. "Something doesn't feel right. Maybe it would be best if you wait."

"It can't wait, you know that. Besides, I know the land well, better than anyone, and I am not defenseless, especially not there."

"I'm aware of that, but-"

She stopped as the door to the Shirasagi's throne room opened. Both women turned to the figure stepping through. The scar crisscrossing in an 'X' over her face, the deep blue hair pulled back in a sensible ponytail. One of Mikoto's retainers, Reina.

Reined stepped forward, stopping just short with a respectful bow, her expression all business. "Pardon the intrusion. Prince Takumi has returned from Izumo and requests an audience with you."

If Azura remembered correctly, he had gone to Izumo to enjoy the Festival of Spring there because of an invitation. Had something happened to give reason for a formal audience?

"So soon?" Mikoto murmured, before speaking in an even tone. "Thank you for informing me, Reina. Send him in after Azura leaves."

Reina bowed again. "By your leave."

Mikoto nodded her assent. As Reina left, a knowing smile graced Mikoto's lips, and Azura spotted a hint of humor in her eyes. "It's just like your brother to ask in such a formal way to talk to me."

Azura looked to her aunt. "You are the queen of Hoshido. And you know as well as I do that he isn't my brother."

"Not by blood, no. But family is so much more than your lineage, Azura. Both of you are more alike than you care to realize. Takumi cares about you, even if he doesn't know how to show it." She felt Mikoto's hand come to rest tenderly on her cheek. "All of your siblings here do. You need only open up to them."

_Her mother sucked in a stabilizing breath, giving her a smile as she laid a tender hand on Azura's cheek, placing a kiss on her forehead. Azura could tell the smile wasn't a happy one, and she could only watch in abject horror as that very hand still on her cheek started disappearing before her eyes. Her mind was still reeling from all the information about Valla. The pendant, newly adorned around her neck, thrummed._

Azura closed her eyes. She'd already had one mother succumb to the curse. She wouldn't risk any of her other adoptive family members. It was her burden to bear as one of the last members of Vallite royalty.

The only reason she had opened up to Mikoto was because Mikoto already knew. She already knew of Valla and its curse. The Hoshidan Queen was her mother's sister: she could dance around the Vallite curse.

"I'm fine, Mikoto."

Mikoto sighed in a long-suffering manner. "You know I don't mind if you call me mother, Azura." Azura averted her eyes and said nothing, and eventually, Mikoto's hand shifted to her shoulder to give a quick squeeze. "Be safe."

Azura walked out of Castle Shirasagi's throne room without saying another word.

Outside the door, Takumi, Oboro and Hinata turned to her as she passed through the opening. Had she had interrupted a conversation?

Takumi's stare turned to a glare, eyes narrowing. "What?"

She realized she had stopped to stare, and almost moved on before she hesitated, Mikoto's words still fresh in her mind. Open up to him?

He folded his arms, annoyance clear. "If you have something to say, spit it out already."

She sighed. "It's nothing." And moved past them. So much for that.

Of all her adoptive siblings, Takumi trusted her the least. She couldn't blame him, given her situation. A supposed Nohrian royal and a bargaining chip for a political hostage exchange that would never come to pass. An unfit replacement for what he likely thought of as his real sister.

Her life here was easy, compared to what she could remember of the cutthroat politics of the Nohrian nobility. Of course, that wasn't to say she was loved here by all. Far from it.

Whether or not they cared that she heard, gossip ran amuck about her. Most were quiet about it, but they made their way to her ears nonetheless. They were never slow to point out her supposed faults; different, quiet, a Nohrian spy. Some were petty and focused on how she rarely wore any footwear; a supposed testament of her Nohrian savagery showing through.

It likely didn't help that Azura never cared to correct what they said. Thankfully, most of the castle staff ignored her, and she returned the favor by ignoring them.

She knew the truth, and that was enough.

A quick trip to her quarters to retrieve her blessed lance – a gift from Hinoka – and a small pack, before down and out of the castle she trekked. If people wondered where she was going, it wouldn't matter much. Time passed quicker in Valla relative to the world outside.

At least, most of the time. It was erratic and confusing, but generally, she ended up back in Hoshido long before anyone thought to question too much where she went.

Eventually, she came to a secluded clear lake. Sakura petals still littered the ground and dotted the pond's surface. This was one of her favorite places to come to be away from it all, to think.

But more importantly, to sing.

Bare feet padding on the sandy shore of the pond near the small wooden dock, she began the familiar melody. At first, a melody was all it was, until with a moment of concentration, the verse began to echo with an otherworldly power. The shard of Anankos' dragonstone fixed within her pendant began to glow softly, thrumming where the metal of the pendant met the cloth of her clothes.

Then came the pull, the tug on her psyche, a painful twinge in her mind mixed with the distant sound of rushing waves. She ignored the sensation and continued the song, shivering slightly as she waded into the clear water. So long as she travelled to Valla, the curse would not hurt her.

Her light-blue hair pooled behind her as she waded deeper. The tug on her mind surged and a light erupted from the bottom of the pond. Internally she sighed in relief. Every time, it felt like a gamble on whether or not it would work. She dived, then sank  _past_  the bed of the pond.

Until at last, she fell into the ground.

She closed her eyes at the distressing transition between worlds. No matter how many times she did this, that pain remained unchanged.

At the sensation of surfacing, the tug of the curse faded entirely. While she didn't know why, she wasn't going to complain if she was dry every time she completed the transition. She would have cut her hair shorter a long time ago if that hadn't been the case.

She opened her eyes to the wild landscape of Valla and inhaled deeply, breathing in the magic in the air, feeling the way it thrummed in an almost visible manner through the air.

The smell of home.

Unfortunately, she knew that unless she was lucky, her time without opposition would be short. She glanced around. Every time she came here something about the landscape had moved, changed or broken. But she came here so often that it rarely mattered.

Eventually, she oriented herself from a familiar landmark. Using her lance as a walking stick to keep it handy, Azura began walking towards a nearby transporter.

* * *

She remembered that she had tried to escape many times before.

This time, she was determined to make it all the way out.

A moment of negligence from her creator was all it took. Ignoring his cries of protest, she shattered many of the instruments he used before breaking through the door to his lab with strength of the blood he had given her.

Up stairs and through holes in ceilings she went, running, crawling, as fast as she could. As she ran, she passed her accomplices, the creatures, the decrepit looking humans with masks. As was normal, their breath came out visibly tinged with a purplish miasma. Most stood idly by simply tracing her movements with eyes glowing red – like hers – while she passed.

Their voices still echoed in her head, encouraging her, urging her to a freedom they would never have.

But not all seemed content to allow her to pass. She came across a group that stood in her way, wielding rusting weapons – swords, lances, axes – all approaching the point of being useless. The one in front let out a horrible, ear-grating screech that echoed in the dark, sand filled corridor. Even though she winced at the sound, she stood her ground, in her mind she roared at them to back off.

And to her surprise and delight, they  _listened_.

It was the first time she could remember feeling joy. A feeling, like a thrill, bubbled up inside of her while continued her escape. The other voices urged her on. They wanted her freedom just as much as she did.

But in the end, it didn't matter. In the end, she came across an impassable door, locked from the outside. She had attempted to break through, but was forcibly pushed back, repulsed by some force that at the time, she couldn't fathom.

She had tried to escape, only to find it was pointless.

She was sealed in.

Trapped.

She sulked in front of that door for a long time. Some of the voices, the masks, gathered around her. They chided, criticized; some mourned with her. Eventually, her creator found her. The voices parted at his instruction.

She expected her captor to chide her, punish her in some way. That was what the voices told her to expect to happen.

Instead, he scowled just as scathingly at that door as she did. Something almost instinctual told her how he hated that just as much as she did, and in that brief moment she felt more connected to him than she ever would again.

"Mmm," he rumbled. She heard a curse. "The Council's seal."

She only realized later that she hadn't heard him speak that curse aloud.

He turned to look down on her still small form. "You seek freedom, but now you know that you are just as trapped here as I am. That," she saw him gesture to the door, "is a problem for another day." His expression turned in an instant ecstatic, overjoyed. Giddy. "For now, let us focus on the good that came from this."

He had laughed, exuberantly. "You're learning to control them! Much quicker than I expected too, even wresting control of them from me. But, no, I shouldn't be surprised at all, should I? After all, this was what you were created to do."

He laughed again; that same focused, mad laughter. "Fantastic! This requires further tests, my creation. Your control of the thanatophages needs to be perfect, or this will all have been for nothing."

She had grudgingly consented to it and the voices concurred as well. Better for them to be under her direction, than the control of the mad man who had tortuously brought them back to this semblance of life.

But, once that was done, like the voices urged her to, she would kill this man.

* * *

Anna woke up.

A slight headache greeted her before she realized a hand was shaking her. She blinked rapidly, before rubbing the crust out of her eyes with her thumb and forefinger, her sight resolving into Robin crouching near her bedroll.

"Ah, finally. Your turn for watch." His voice was quiet, likely to try and not wake Kaden. "You were sleeping pretty soundly. Did I wake you up in the middle of a dream or something?"

Had he? "May-" Anna yawned, sat up and stretched, earning satisfying popping noises from her arms. "Maybe." The headache pulsed, and she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"You okay?"

She slapped her cheeks and took a deep breath of the cool air. The headache receded slightly. "It's just a small headache. Probably just need to drink some water and I'll be fine."

"Alright. Remember, don't hesitate to wake both of us if there's any trouble and don't-"

"-go off on my own or try to fend of the foul creatures of the night, or be a hero." She gave him a scathing look. "I know how it works."

"Never hurts to have a little reminder." He stood, and made his way over to his bedroll.

She shivered from the night's chill as she rose from her own. Spring may have started, but the nights were still cold. Or, was it technically morning at this point for her, since she was on third watch tonight? Whatever.

She laced up her boots, buckled her sword firmly to her hip and drew her traveling cloak around herself to fend off the chill. There were clear signs of travel on the cloak, most notably the stains of mud near the bottom from trekking mud in the aftermath of the rain a couple of days ago. She needed to clean it as some point.

The night crawled onward on her watch. She stirred the embers of the fire some, rubbing her hands together to get feeling back in her fingertips. As usual, being on watch left her without much to do, so she squandered away the time thinking. Her mind turned in useless circles.

Like she had feared, none of them knew what had happened when she and Robin had disappeared. She wasn't sure if knowing he didn't know was more unnerving than not knowing at all.

The memories of that place – or whatever it was – remained stubbornly there, but not there. Blocked but not blocked. Muddled by contradictions that made no sense.

She wrapped her cloak around her tighter after an involuntary shiver went down her spine. She still wasn't sure what to think of being on the run. Even though she was currently doing it, it felt like the reality of it hadn't quite settled in yet. Part of her still expected to wake up, and find herself back on her next trade route. But instead-

Something wasn't right.

She startled, then paused. Listening out into the night, she stilled her breathing and rested her hand on the pommel of her sword, eyes darting into the tree-line. The time stretched on and she couldn't make out what had made her wary.

Had she imagined it? That didn't seem likely. Her heart beat a nervous rhythm in her chest.

Until a resounding crack echoed through the forest, making her jump, heart thumping wildly. The ground began shaking slightly, followed by another crack mixed with the sound of jangling metal. A heavy sounding thumping grew louder, closer.

Drawing her sword, she turned to wake Robin and Kaden, only to find them thankfully already stirring. Honestly, they'd better not have been able to sleep with all the noise that was going on.

"Something's coming," she announced.

A guttural noise, like a choking roar, echoed through the trees.

"Obviously." Robin retrieved the battle tome from inside his cloak.

The thumping grew frighteningly close, but she couldn't tell which direction it came from. The wind rustled, then picked up and dragged a horrible smell across her nose. She covered her nose, barely resisting the urge to gag. "What's that smell?"

Kaden sniffed before his nose wrinkled and he rubbed it furiously. "Ugh it smells like rotten-"

"Through the trees - scatter!"

A hulking creature burst into their little clearing. Anna had just a moment to take in how immense and  _green_  the thing was before self-preservation kicked in, and she jumped back away from the thing's fist slamming the ground where she was a moment before.

The force of the impact sent her teeth rattling and dirt flying. She stumbled and nearly fell, before the stance resetting exercise she'd been practicing stopped her from being entirely knocked off her feet.

A flare of light came from Robin as he conjured a fire ball and cast it into the air, fully illuminating a monstrosity. Hunched over, it still stood a good head or two taller than her. Its bulging muscles rippled as it faced them with its black mask; the empty sockets covering it freaked her out.

She'd never seen one in person, but knew what it was.

The Faceless let out a guttural roar, and slammed its fist down again, seemingly in frustration for missing its first strike. Kaden, in his foxlike beastform dashed by it, raking his claws along the beast's back as he went past. The Faceless didn't even flinch, and twisted around, nearly smashing the kitsune as he barely slipped away.

But it left it wide open for her.

Her blade slid down through the flesh of the arm with startling ease, severing the hand above the elbow. It almost immediately faded to dust when it hit the ground, leaving only the shackle and broken chain lying there. A spear of lightning – that was a thoron spell, she reminded herself – came from her left and lanced through the Faceless' center, tearing clean through, leaving a smoking hole.

She darted back as the Faceless stumbled, then let out what might have been a grating roar of outrage. Anna lurched to the side, feeling the wind from its swift uppercut from its other arm disturb the hairs on the back of her neck.

Footwork. It was all about footwork.

But, seriously? Even with one arm cut off and a massive hole in its center – now oozing something she didn't want to think about – it was still going?

A yowl and the Faceless toppled forward, tackled to the ground by Kaden, who was now pinning it to the ground. He looked at her. "Stab it through the head!"

Anna rushed forward, took her sword in a two handed grip and jammed it down through the mask. It let out a gurgling noise, struggling, flailing its remaining arm widely before it slumped and stopped moving.

Panting slightly, she braced her boot against its head and yanked her sword out. She glanced away in disgust at the substance now covering it. Kaden hopped off the dead – redead? – Faceless. It was tough to tell but he looked a little shaken. Then again, she was too, now that the skirmish was over.

The Faceless' body bulged in a grotesque way. Her eyes widened and she took a step back.

"Get back!"

She heeded Robin's warning and turned to run, but didn't make it that far before with a thunderous boom, the creature exploded. The heat and force of it slammed into her, knocking her clean off her feet. Air whistled past a moment before she felt herself land, rolling to a painful stop on her back.

Her ears rung and she blinked, dazed. Something that felt like rock was digging painfully into her back. She felt the ground shake, rattling her whole body through the contact. Her hand clenched and she realized her sword had fallen out of her grasp. Shaking off the daze and pushing past the pain, she rolled over, pushing herself to her knees. She looked up.

Another Faceless looked right at her, an open hand poised to smash.

She needed to move now.

Her adrenaline spiked and she yelped, throwing herself to the side as the open hand smashed down where she was a moment earlier-

Pain slammed into her, and she felt rather than heard something crack. Her breath rushed out in a painful gasp. She'd rolled right into the path of the creature's other hand. It became difficult to breathe. Her ribs?

Her vision swam near to unconsciousness but she denied it, even though it would be really nice right about now. In the corner of her eye she could see Kaden pinned to a tree by another Faceless. More Faceless crashed through the trees around her.

With a figure in a cloak at their head.

* * *

Kaden's ears rung painfully and his singed fur burned. Since when did Faceless explode like that?

"How convenient that you highlighted your location, sending up that light as you did. You have my thanks for making this easier on me."

Kaden saw Robin, looking rather singed, send off another spear of lightning, which the approaching man sidestepped. Pulling out a staff, he muttered something before waving it. The runes swirling around Robin for his next spell died.

Not good.

To his credit, Robin simply dropped the tome and drew his sword, going into a wary stance. "What was that?"

"Much as I loathe Hoshido, their Silence Festals are quite useful for capturing mages."

"And you are?"

What Kaden could make out of his face under the cowl of the cloak was ghostly pale. He could see the mouth move into a smirk. "The genius who's about to capture you, of course."

"I meant your name."

"Unimportant to you for now. Don't try and move to attack me. You've already witnessed what these creatures do when they die, but if needed I can make them do it on command. If you don't want your friends to get caught up in that point blank, then you will come with me willingly."

There was something about that voice. He'd heard it somewhere before, recently. His eyes widened in recognition, before he sent a glare at the man. "You're the one who was spreading news about us at the inn in Albah."

"Oh, so you noticed that, did you?" The man didn't turn to face him. Drat. He'd hoped he would've taken his eyes off Robin a moment to give him a chance to try something. Kaden squirmed uselessly in the Faceless' grip. "I'm flattered, really, I am. But…" The man snapped his fingers.

Kaden cried out as the pressure from the Faceless increased, crushing him against the tree, making it impossible to breathe.

"Don't think me so gullible not to realize that you were trying to distract me, kitsune. Now, Robin, if you value their lives, you will surrender."

A pause. Couldn't…breathe. The world was going dark around the edges of his vision.

"Fine, but let them go."

"I'm afraid that's not possible. If I do that, I lose an edge against you. All of you are coming with me."

Kaden went slack as his world slipped away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How do you make Faceless a threat?
> 
> You make them explode. Thanks, Conquest.
> 
> Also, Lilith needs a hug.


	15. An Offer You Can't Refuse

**Chapter 15 – An Offer You Can't Refuse**

* * *

The chill feeling of cold seeping into her side pushed her to consciousness. Anna breathed in and her nose filled with the smell of stone, dirt and filth. This was followed closely by the realization that everything hurt.

A lot.

She opened her eyes, confirming that, yes, she was lying on a hard dirt floor, and when she tried to shift to sit, a stab of pain in her chest made her breath in sharply through clenched teeth. The sharp intake of air set off a chain reaction, momentarily and painfully made everything more vivid, but feel even worse.

Her head swam, followed by her gut rebelling against all the sudden stimuli. She threw up, seeing flecks of blood mixed in.

Anna groaned and painstakingly rolled over, closed her eyed and curled into a pathetic ball away from the disgusting scent of her own sick.

Breathing anything more than shallow breaths hurt. She didn't know how long she lay there, but eventually the pain subsided enough that she passed out once more.

* * *

The thrill pulsed in an annoying rhythm, and pushed Corrin back to consciousness.

Memories of what just happened flowed back into her mind. The light, the encompassing sound of the thrill, the tug, the water, the feeling of drowning.

Diving, no,  _falling_  into the ground.

Corrin opened her eyes, and breathed.

In.

Out.

The air was different. Invigorating, and even as she breathed again, a feeling, a sort of strength filled her lungs. Her hand clenched, kneading the grass on which she could now tell she was lying face down. She slowly, carefully, pushed herself up to her knees.

The grass was simply a small part of a lush field, dotted with trees. A nearby mountain towered upward. Wind rustled her hair, blowing in uneven gusts, making the grass around her look like it was waving. She looked up.

And couldn't help but stare, her mouth parting involuntarily at the sight that greeted her.

"What the…"

The sky was filled with floating islands, landmasses of all sizes, both suspended and moving through the air, tilted at angles that didn't make logical sense. Her head whipped back down, glancing around the surrounding area.

She was on one of those islands floating in the sky.

A light glinted off the surface of a small body of water, situated near her, and she shielded her eyes from the glare. Hadn't it been night before? Was she really out cold that long?

Corrin shakily brought herself to her feet, stumbling slightly. Even with how invigorating the air was, she felt…tired, drained in a way that wasn't physical. It must have had something to do with how she got here. Going through a portal at the bottom of a pond obviously wasn't normal, so maybe the act of it drained her? That seemed likely.

Actually, why wasn't she wet? Even if she hadn't dived through a pool, she had been standing out in the rain for some time before that, and she doubted that she had been unconscious long enough for everything to dry off completely.

Maybe that should be the least of her worries. Obviously, this wasn't the Northern Fortress, or any of the landscape that she could normally see from its ramparts. The feel of everything was too visceral, too real to be a dream.

Corrin couldn't help the smile that crept on to her face. Then a chuckle, then a laugh.

She wasn't there anymore; she was free from the Fortress' boundaries. She didn't fully understand how, but she relished in the feeling of freedom it brought. She breathed in deeply the unfamiliar air, feeling again the way that drawing it into her bolstered her initially sluggish feel.

The thrill reveled at its sensation.

Was this what the air of freedom tasted like?

She started exploring the surrounding area, basking in the newfound independence. No one telling her where to go, no duties no sparring, no lessons. No wards keeping her confined.

And no one but her.

She walked, and walked, but couldn't find anyone. The sun never moved even after what felt like hours passed. Tracking it to its source, she came to the realization that the sun…wasn't the sun, even though it was bright and round enough to initially trick her into thinking so.

The not-sun didn't move, but instead hung stationary in the sky.

She abruptly stopped as she came to the edge of the isle she was on, and peered over the edge. Her stomach dropped.

The landscape stretched far below in a similar fashion, floating isles, she thought she spotted what could be buildings, but it was difficult to tell at this distance. Most moved at a furious uneven paces. How did they not ram into each other? Was the isle she was on doing the same? That might be creating the uneven wind she felt.

She carefully backed up and sat down, feet dangling over the edge, enjoying the feel of the wind on her toes.

She couldn't ever remember anyone talking about a place like this before. None of the maps, none of the stories or histories she'd read had ever mentioned it either. Why? She would think that people would clamor to write or talk about something as amazing as this.

So why not? Could no one else but her come here? Maybe they didn't know it existed? She supposed most people wouldn't be thrilled about having to dive until the point it felt like you were drowning, but for a view like this, who wouldn't want to risk it?

Or, maybe that was just her isolation speaking.

Her musing was interrupted as a shadow fell over her. When she looked up her eyes widened as she spotted another island – perpendicular to the one she was on – rushing towards this one at furious pace. It didn't look like it was going to miss.

She quickly scrambled back up, getting as far away from the edge as she could. She stumbled as the isle shook and rumbled, and she covered her ears at the ear-grating sound of grinding rock.

Then the sound and sensation abruptly stopped.

She hesitantly uncovered her ears and glanced back, her mind trying to comprehend what she was seeing.

The island that had been speeding towards this one had… _merged_  with the one she was on, creating what looked like a wall. One made up of earth, fields and trees, buildings and mountains all sticking out of it.

"Okay, that's  _not_  normal."

But then again, nothing about this was.

Once she had waited a while to make sure that the landmass wasn't going to move anymore, she carefully trod over to the connection between the landmasses. Where they joined, the land looked like it bent upwards. She stopped and warily moved back when a tugging sensation in her gut started. A pull, like…

She searched the ground around her, eventually coming across a large pebble. She picked it up, and with an underhanded toss, sent it towards the newly joined isle. Her mind said that it should have just bounced off, but instead, it flipped in the air and landed  _on_  the ground of the other island.

That was…

_Amazing_.

She carefully stepped forward, past the part where the feeling of the pull started, and let out a cry of shock when, instead of taking another step forward, she fell towards the wall.

Instinct and training turned that short fall into a painful roll. She glanced back. The other landmass was now underneath her, and the one she was just on looked like it was now on its side.

A shaky laugh escaped her, before it devolved into a giggle fit. That was disorienting to say the least, not to mention hard to wrap her head around how that worked.

Rolling her shoulder where she had landed on it, Corrin stood and started looking around again. Her heart leapt when she spotted what looked like might be a cluster of buildings. The first sign of civilization, maybe even a town. She set off immediately.

It would be invaluable if there was someone else to explain what was going on.

But when she came to the buildings, she found them in ruins. The first she looked through had no signs of life. Same with the next one, and the next. Had they been abandoned?

Something in the back of her mind started to irk her as she moved around the empty village. It took her a while, but when she pinned it down, an involuntary shudder went up her spine. Besides the plants, there was no life to be seen or heard here. Even in Nohr, there was life if you knew where to look for it. Hardy animals, insects. People.

This place was alive with the feel of what she started recognizing as magic, but in every other way, it felt dead.

Well, maybe not quite dead, but certainly  _off_  in some way.

Eventually, she settled down on a boulder near the middle of what she decided was probably a village at one point. The relatively open area was near to the largest building in the village. Though its steepled roof sagged, it was more intact than the other buildings in the village, even though it had a large hole in the stonework on one side. She had yet to check it, but more than likely, it would be empty like the rest.

The not-sun still hadn't moved an inch as far as she could tell, but it was clearly getting dimmer and everything was getting darker with it. The dimming glow reminded her of a sunset, but without the colors. Had she been here that long already?

Fear, bubbled up in her. What if she couldn't get back? How did she get back? She couldn't really remember how she'd gotten here in the first place. Yes, she'd dived through a light at the bottom of the pond in the Northern Fortress, but how? She probably should've tried to see if she could get back before exploring.

Odd as it was to think, it had felt natural to do it, like something from her instincts. But why?

She paused, as a stray thought graced her mind. If she went back, wouldn't she just be trapped again?

But her family had to be worried about her, right? She dreaded what Camilla would do when she found her missing. Elise would be crushed, Xander might not be able to personally search but would no doubt send out search parties. Leo would head the effort from behind the scenes. Her retainers would no doubt get wrapped up in it too.

Well, if, no  _when_  she got back, she would at least have quite the story to tell them. Assuming they even believed her.

She jumped to her feet at the  _crack_ of a twig snapping, realizing two things very quickly. She was out in the open and had no weapon.

The thrill trilled a warning, and she twisted out of the way as something whistled past her ear. An arrow lodged in the ground near her. The way its fletching faced meant its trajectory was from her left into the trees bordering one side of the village.

Well, even if they weren't friendly, at least she wasn't alone; that was something. She ducked behind the boulder, putting its mass between her and the trajectory of the arrow.

If there were people here, actually living here, then it was possible there was civilization of some kind. Hopefully whoever fired that arrow would be willing to talk. She had hoped her first interaction outside of the Northern Fortress wouldn't be with an unreasonable bandit.

"Look, I don't want to fight you," she called in a manner that she hoped sounded peaceful, "I just want to know where I am." She poked her head towards where the archer likely was, though she saw no one.

She ducked back behind the boulder as another arrow lodged itself into the ground in answer. "So much for that," she muttered.

Unless there were others hiding, there was only one archer. With the archer where he was and the open expanse between her and the next potential cover – the largest building with the hole the side closest to her – her options were limited.

Rushing them was out of the question. She would be shot down long before she got to them, especially since she couldn't tell where they were. Even if she found them, she was without a weapon and it seemed unlikely that the archer would be alone. What had Gunter taught her to do when pinned down by an archer?

Don't stay in the same position, and get out of their line of sight. Right. Easier said than done.

Hopefully, this feint would work.

She hefted a rock and tossed it out from behind her cover. The twang of a bowstring – now closer than before – signaled the arrow, which whizzed past in the direction of the rock. Corrin bolted off toward the hole of the nearby building. The moments in-between her strides seemed to stretch, even as the thrill swelled and she ducked another arrow.

At last, she vaulted through the hole, taking shelter inside, her breathing still fairly steady. She turned her attention inward to the building, which was still relatively intact. She spotted wooden pews, in various states of decay, a raised dais at one end, and a set of ornate-looking doors – one hanging slightly off its hinges – at the other end.

Was this the remains of a church?

She shook her head; she could worry about that later. For now, maybe she could lure her unseen assailant here, disarm then and get answers. Or maybe just run.

She inhaled sharply at the rasp of a sword clearing its sheathe. The sound was close, somewhere still outside the building, by the sound of it. The archer definitely had backup. Not good.

Where were they? She strained her ears, listening for footsteps.

Her heart jumped and she covered her ears as the door barely hanging on to its hinges busted inward, slamming to the floor, shedding more light of the dimming not-sun into the small room. The sound of boots of the stone floor echoed, but she couldn't see anyone.

Was this some sort of illusion?

The thrill surged, and she rolled out of the way of as something slammed into the floor where she'd been. She glanced around for something, anything that she could use as a weapon, and spotted a broken leg of one of the pews not too far away from her.

She darted forward, awkwardly grasping the short wooden pole, searching for her attacker.

The light of the not-sun glinted through the hole in the side of the building she initially came through, and her eyes narrowed at a human-shaped shadow on the floor where it looked like nothing stood.

She'd never heard of it before, but maybe this was some sort of invisibility magic? The shadow showed the person's weapon to be a sword, clenched in a one-handed grip.

And it was running directly towards her.

The shadow showed a simple overhanded strike, she whirled to the side, and with yell, swung the leg of the pew where she judged the head to be to stun them. The wood snapped in half where it impacted something solid.

The impact seemed to have dispelled the magic and she could see them now. They wore simple if ragged looking clothing, but were cloaked in violet flames, which she really didn't have time to think about.

However, because she could see them now, it was nothing more than a duel.

She pressed forward with the remaining half of the pew's leg, ducking under the follow-up swing of the sword as she knocked her makeshift weapon hard into the person's sword arm this time. Her attacker made no sound at the impact, but stumbled. She lanced out with a rising kick to their hand.

The sword flew out of their grasp.

The thrill surged, and in a moment of clarity, she threw the pew leg half, then snatched the sword by the handle out of the air, and swung down in a two-handed. Her attacker made no sound as the crumpled to the ground. The violet flames snuffed out after a moment, and they no longer moved.

The thrill thrummed in a feeling of triumph. She did it – she'd won! She-

She…

She looked down on the still body lying on floor.

She had just killed someone. Just like that. Corrin swallowed, her throat suddenly feeling very dry, a pit forming in her stomach.

The thrill nudged her.

She shook her head in an attempt to clear it. Right. She was still under attack from at least the archer, and likely others. She…she needed to move.

* * *

Shura had learned the hard way never to rely on luck.

Even before Kohga had been razed to the ground, he'd had to learn that lesson. With how much he'd been on both sides of dirty plays in the years after, it only cemented his view.

At least now, he wasn't alone. It was him and his crew.

He shook his head, and internally smiled. For the longest time, his crew hadn't had a name. Still didn't at least in the public eye. Course that hadn't stopped his crew from thinking up nicknames. It was around five years ago, while acting as a highwayman around Windmire, that one of the recruits had made a joke.

" _So what's your group called, anyways?"_

" _Doesn't need one and it never will."_

" _So I've joined up with a bunch of nobodies. That's rich."_

The rest had laughed and teased Shura about it relentlessly, especially Niles. Of course that was before they'd realized the kid was a spy for one of the Nohrian royals.

But that nickname, among many others over the years, dumb as they often were, stuck, and Shura wouldn't have had it any other way.

He really  _was_  getting old if he was reminiscing like this.

Probably didn't help that he was still waiting for his crew to start their distraction. By his count, he wouldn't have to wait much longer.

His target sat at a desk, leaning over a piece of parchment, scratching away with a quill. Even just looking at him made that well of resentment boil.

In his prime, Kotaro was a monster in battle. Of course, in recent years, as age began catching up with him, he'd moved to more bureaucratic measures manipulate things in his favor. But that didn't mean Shura could slack off.

Normally, it would have been impossible to sneak into the daimyo's private office in Mokushu, but with Kotaro's loyal forces already stretched thin, it was slightly less so. Those were the kind of odds Shura was used to working with. Disguised as one of the two ninja on duty protecting the daimyo, all he had to do was wait for the perfect moment.

Not much longer now.

A knock on the door to the office echoed softly through the small room. Kotaro glanced up and set the parchment aside. Not good, but he could still improvise if needed.

Of course, it helped that Shura didn't expect to walk away alive.

"Enter," Kotaro called.

The door slid open and a man in a dark cloak entered, the cowl drawn over his head, obscuring most of his features. Shura hadn't seen the man around recently, but he'd seen him before, slinking around. One of his crew had eventually gleaned that they were an envoy from Nohr.

The man glanced at Shura and the ninja standing silently on the other of the room. "Care to dismiss your little pets so we can talk in peace?"

Kotaro let out an amused grunt. "I'm not so foolish that I would trust being alone in a room with you."

"How very astute of you. No matter, I suppose. With the way things work around here, everyone will have heard about it before night's end anyways." Clearly, whoever this guy was, he didn't enjoy working with Kotaro. "I've captured the supposed assassin as you… _requested_." The last word was punctuated with enough vehemence to put out a window.

So who was this assassin? Shura narrowed his eyes as his mind raced through the potential candidates of who they were talking about, but came up too many possibilities to pin down just one.

"Already?" Kotaro mused. "Well, that was quick."

"Tracking down an anomalous nuisance is child's play and hardly the best use of my time. There was no use toying with them, especially with how dangerous the Izumites claimed him to be."

Wait, were they talking about the guy who had killed Izumo's archduke?

"Are the rumors of his abilities false?"

"No, but whether they are or they are not was of no matter in capturing him. It was a simple matter of silencing his magic and threatening the lives of his companions. After that he came quietly enough. While his companions are already in the dungeons, I took the liberty of assuming that you wished to speak with him in person. You need only say the word, and he will be brought in."

"How uncharacteristically thoughtful of you." Kotaro gestured with his hand. "Leave after you send him in."

The man in the dark cloak bowed, though Shura easily caught the mocking manner in which he did so. "Of course, daimyo."

Well, this was just his luck. Now he had to bank on his crew taking longer than expected. Otherwise, he might have a larger audience than he intended.

The door slid open again, and in between two armored guards a man in shackles was dragged forward. He had white hair, like Niles. He had a simple tunic and trousers, feet bare. Shura spotted glowing onmyoji seals on his visible skin. Definitely some sort of mage.

So this was the guy everyone had been setting their heads on fire for the last week about? He barely looked old enough to be in his mid-twenties. Then again, that was about the time Shura had unintentionally started attracting people into his crew.

The shackled man looked up to Kotaro, and Shura could clearly see intelligence glimmering in those eyes. "What do you want?"

Kotaro cocked an eyebrow. "Believe it or not, I didn't bring you here to gloat or some other such nonsense. I simply wanted to express my gratitude."

The man let out a snort. "You have a wonderful way of showing it."

"You fancy yourself quite the comedian, don't you?" He turned to the guards. "Unshackle him."

Shura caught the guards glancing nervously at each other. "Is that really wise, daimyo?" one of them voiced.

"It's difficult to have a civilized talk when one party is in chains. Besides, there are seals on his magic, and I have no doubt your abilities to recapture him should he try anything reckless."

The guards moved to unchain the man, and as they did, Shura moved in tandem with the ninja opposite him, poised – in theory – to knock him out or kill if necessary. It also let Shura keep an eye on Kotaro, who had stood and gone to a shelf behind his desk, pouring drinks into two separate goblets.

A padded chair was pulled up to the desk and after finishing unshackling him, the guards roughly set the man down in it. They backed away a respectful distance when Kotaro gestured for them to do so.

He set one of the goblets in front of the man.

"Care for some?"

"I'll pass."

"Suit yourself." Kotaro took a sip. "It's quite good, you know. An excellent vintage from Kohga, quite rare nowadays considering its untimely fate a few decades ago."

Shura's hand clenched.

"You didn't drag me in here to talk to me about wine vintages. I'll ask again: what do you want?"

"Straight to the point. I can appreciate that. Let me start with the question I'm sure everyone wants to know: what did you gain from killing the archduke of Izumo, Robin? Revenge?"

The man – Robin, apparently – stayed silent.

"Very well, I suppose I have no need to know your motives. Even so, you took down a target I've been struggling for years against, and escape cleanly out of the capital, even with the massive scenes you caused." He paused, taking another sip. "I have to thank you for that. I can appreciate a man with flair."

"And the attention it must have drawn attention away from whatever you were doing, no doubt."

Huh. Smart kid.

"Precisely. It's good to know you have a decent head on your shoulders to go along with your abilities." Kotaro leaned in slightly, resting his elbows on the desk and interlocking his hands in a steeple. "You are aware of the age long war between Hoshido and Nohr, correct?"

"Everyone does keep mentioning it."

Shura raised an eyebrow. Maybe not so smart. He was either cocky, or really didn't get how thin of ice he was treading on.

Kotaro continued despite it. "Yes. Its reach is felt everywhere across the continent. However, the balance of power has shifted. Some believe that such a thing is natural, and something that will be corrected again as it has time and time again.

"Ordinarily, they would be right. However, within these past thirteen years, the balance has undeniably shifted in favor of Nohr. Were it not for the ward which now resides around core Hoshidan territory, the war would likely already be over."

"Ward? You mean the barrier?"

Kotaro waved a dismissive hand to the side. "Call it what you will. While I don't know where Queen Mikoto got ahold of the knowledge for such a creation, its effect is clear enough. However, it is only a temporary reprieve, another stall for time. Even with its effects, Nohr has already found a way to continue to harass them."

"The Faceless."

Kotaro nodded. "Of course, and while the beasts are nuisances, they are but a distraction. It will only be a matter of time before they find a way to make the ward fall. When it does, I intend to aid in Nohr's effort."

"So Mokushu isn't as neutral as it claims?" Robin asked.

"On the surface, perhaps. However, I am a man of action, Robin, and I'll admit I've done things I'm not proud of. But at least I did act; that's something that time and again Hoshido has shown they can't do. They stumble along, hoping, dreaming, pretending; but when it comes time to act, they never do. Nothing disgusts me more than people who sit idly by."

Kotaro shifted in his seat. "So, when the time comes, the choice is easy; I know whom I will side with. The future safety and prosperity of my nation depends on it."

Shura resisted the urge to snarl. Mostly because if you took it at face value, it actually sounded like a good thing. But he knew Kotaro. He would ride on the coattails of Nohr's conquest, ignoring the lives destroyed in the process. All while spouting this nonsense about  _action_.

"I can tell you're very passionate about this, but what do you gain from telling me this information?"

Kotaro let out a chuckle. "Can you really not tell? I want you to work for me."

Shura caught something pass over Robin's face as his eyes narrowed. "You want to recruit me? Why?"

"To speed along Nohr's effort and bring a swifter end to this long war."

"And you would want me to do what exactly?"

"You'll get the details when you accept, of course."

_When_ , not if, Shura noted.

"However," Kotaro continued, "I won't expect you to work for free. You will be compensated and I can grant you what you desire, within reason of course. Riches, land, power."

"My services aren't for sale."

Well, the kid had guts, Shura could give him that.

"Every man has a price, even if they don't realize it."

"And what if I just want to be left alone?"

Kotaro snorted. "Then you've done a poor job of making that dream a reality with the price you've put on your head." His demeanor shifted and the tone of his voice dropped, becoming menacing. "However, know this. This deal only lasts for as long as you stay in this room. You can walk out here in my service, or you will not walk out at all."

Kotaro paused, likely to let the severity of that statement sink in.

"So, Robin, what will it be?"

* * *

When Anna woke up again, she noticed that she was on a cot, a thin blanket covering her. The smell of sick was gone. Someone had taken pity on her?

She probably looked pathetic.

No doubt about that.

At least the pain she felt before had faded to a dull enough throb for more coherent thoughts to form.

How had she gotten here and, where was  _here_? She carefully opened her eyes. The area was fairly dark, but past strong metal bars – she was in another prison cell – she could see firelight reflecting off the stone floor outside the cell.

Either it was night, or she was underground.

She could feel that she'd been stripped of all her gear. The thin shirt and pants she now wore did little to keep out the slight chill, not enough to be freezing, but very much unpleasant. If there was another blanket somewhere, she didn't feel up to moving enough to retrieve it.

Compared to the cells in Izumo, she couldn't see or hear anyone else close by. Unlike Robin, she couldn't just wave her hand and blast through the cell to escape. Even if she could, there was little chance of escape, especially in her current condition. She'd be recaptured in an instant, likely in a worse state then she was in now.

So it was just her, alone with her thoughts.

Anna closed her eyes as a fresh wave of pain and nausea passed, followed by the memories of the night before.

The attack. The exploding Faceless, being crushed under a different one's fist. The man in the dark cloak controlling the abominations. He'd said something about taking them the Mokushujin capital. And that was where she'd lost consciousness.

They couldn't actually be there already, right? They'd been barely in Mokushujin territory and Mokushu's capital, Suterusu, was many days worth of walking away from where the village they had been near. So, unless she'd been out for longer than she thought, this had to be some sort of interim holding cell, right?

Unless he transported them via teleportation.

Anna frowned. Over that sort of distance? That seemed unlikely. But…then again, with what had been happened to her, it probably wouldn't do to outright dismiss the thought.

It still didn't change the fact that she was stuck, injured in a holding cell, barely more than a full week after being her brief stay in the one in Izumo. Would the sight of a cell become normal?

A buzzing, painful full-body sensation, coupled with a headache washed over her. She almost threw up again. No, she just dry heaved. Nothing to come up.

What just…?

A pulse. An abnormal beat.

Anna looked down to the visible part of her right arm. The grey scars tingled.

Nothing.

She blinked. And her arm, no, everything,  _fluctuated_.

And everything _waswrongwithpainitwasn'thersitwasn'thersnothers_

The world  **shifted.**

* * *

Corrin's lungs burned, and sweat poured down her face, even though the not-sun had dimmed to the point of something like moonlight long ago.

Block, parry, riposte, dodge, duck, weave. A dance where any moment would be her last.

The thrill sang in a frantic, rhythm as she desperately dodged out of the way of another strike, but felt her opponent score another hit on her armor with his katana. Then the  _second_  katana passed upward, tracing a thin line above her eye before her own sword caught deflected it away.

She leapt back, trying to give herself some distance. Blood welled from the wound, dripping down and obscuring her vision. It wasn't the first near miss in this fight that could have otherwise ended fatally.

Her opponent, this monster of a man, stayed in the center, watching her as she circled. She was surrounded, a loose circle of people, all armed, all radiating those same violet flames when she could see them. The message was clear. This was a duel, and there would be no escape.

At least her opponent remained visible.

She just wished she knew why this was happening. Why were these people attacking her? Did she do something wrong? Had she trespassed onto their territory? She couldn't tell, because the moment the first of these people had attacked her, she hadn't stopped fighting for her life, and throughout it all, none of them had said a word.

Corrin gritted her teeth, breath evening out slightly if only slightly, and she wiped the blood out of her eye, carefully keeping watch on her opponent.

That smirk on the man's face. He was enjoying this.

It terrified her to think some part of her was as well.

Even so, she was at her limit, maybe even past it. If she didn't do something to end it now, she was likely to collapse.

The thrill thrummed under her skin.

An opening in his guard. She took it without hesitation, ducking under one swing, deflecting another, then another. There was a slight give, a bend in her sword.

Her momentum pushed her forward as her stolen sword broke.

The world spun and she landed hard on her back, driven back by a kick. One of her opponent's katanas slammed down in the dirt right next to right her ear, and she felt the other tickle her throat. Was this going to be her last moment? Dying in an unknown land?

And then, to her surprise, the man burst out laughing. "I haven't had that much of a challenge in years!" The laughter abruptly stopped, and his eyes bore down into hers and she flinched at the intensity. "But I wonder; why do you hold yourself back?"

She blinked. Not only was he speaking clearly, he thought she had been holding back? She might have argued but for the katana still at her throat.

"What…" she swallowed. "What do you mean?"

"I can tell you feel it, utilize it to your advantage. But you hold yourself back."

What was he talking about?

She breathed a sigh of relief as the katanas were pulled away from her, even if she didn't know why. He wiped them off and sheathed them.

He extended a hand. "Come, there's someone who wants to meet you."

Did he expect her to grab his hand even though, like the rest of his form, was still radiating violet flames? Well, it wasn't like she had much choice. Corrin carefully clasped her hand in his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Parallels.
> 
> Also, we see more of Valla, and Anna's really bad time continues.


	16. Pit

**Chapter 16 – Pit**

* * *

"Where are you taking me?"

"You will see when we get there."

And that was the only answer Corrin received after her one-sided battle with the still unnamed swordsman. Only silence greeted her other questions. Eventually she decided there was no point agitating them anymore, just in case they decided she wasn't worth…whatever the reason they decided not to kill her for.

She glanced above, and though it was night, there were no stars, just the dim light of the not-sun. Her situation looked grim.

The cut above Corrin's eye still throbbed, but at least it wasn't actively bleeding anymore. All her other cuts and bruises ached as well, but the silent procession pressed onward to their unknown destination, heedless of her injuries. Even though she couldn't exactly see any of them except for the imposing man, she could hear that at least a good number of those who had surrounded her earlier were following behind.

An unsubtle reminder not to run or try anything.

Probably. Maybe they were just some sort of bandits taking her to their leader, and she'd get involved in some turf war between two opposing factions, and then embroiled in a larger conflict spanning this whole place and then…

She stopped her train of thought, biting her lip.

No.

She shook her head, dispelling the fanciful images. Obviously, this wasn't one of her novels in the Northern Fortress. This was real. She was a prisoner, and if she made a wrong move she would die.

Well, at least she was doing  _something_ , gaining real experience, even if this was simultaneously the most thrilling, frightening and dangerous thing she could remember. Nothing in the Northern Fortress could ever compare to it.

The trek continued into what looked like the remains of another large town or village, and the group headed towards the center. Silently, she wondered if there were any places here that weren't in ruin. There had to be, right? With her legs tired and her mind starting to become bleary, the procession came up to a set of ruins near the middle of the town.

Up a set of crumbling stone stairs was a large raised platform divided into four large sections. She could tell that it was the case because one of the four sections was missing completely, leaving a block shaped hole in the stone structure. Each section was large enough to fit a couple dozen people.

She mustered up her courage to ask, "What is this?"

The man, who had been travelling ahead of her the entire way, stepped aside and gestured forward, face impassive. "Get on. I want to see if you feel it."

Well, that was ominous. Still, it would be strange for them to lead her to a deadly trap when they had her at their mercy before, so it likely wouldn't kill her.

Hopefully.

Even so, she hesitated, glancing back at the people she couldn't really see behind her. Not much of a choice, really.

She carefully ascended the steps and placed a bare foot on to the nearest section of the platform, testing its weight. Solid. She stepped on to the middle of the closest section, and waited, trying to feel something.

Mostly she just felt tired. Maybe a little cold. Even the thrill had dulled to a low lull. Was something supposed to happen?

"Hmph. Seems your training was lacking."

She looked back confusedly at the man behind her. "What do you mean?"

He raised an eyebrow in return. "Can you not feel it? The power pulsing beneath your feet?"

"I'm… not sure what you're talking about."

The man stepped up the stairs and she heard more than saw a dozen of the others that were behind her before step on to the same section of the platform she was on. "You call them 'dragon veins'. Wellsprings of power that only those with the blood or blessing of dragons clearly in their ancestry can access. Surely you've at least felt them before?"

So did that mean they wanted someone of royal blood who could tap into dragon veins? She hesitantly shook her head. "I've never tried to tap into one before. Xander always warned me against trying because he said that while they were powerful, they were also unpredictable. I never had a chance to practice, since he didn't want me to accidentally destroy the Northern Fortress."

The man crossed his arms, letting out an unimpressed sounding scoff. "It sounds as though Xander only has a rudimentary understanding of what he was dealing with. Here. Let me show you what I mean."

A familiar pulse of power thrummed underneath her, not the thrill, but a similar feeling rose up in her chest. She was about to ask what that was, when the outer edge of the stone – in a way that she could only describe as  _melting_  – shifted up like liquid, forming a waist-high wall around the edge of one section of the platform.

He could tap into dragon veins? Then why bring her here? She carefully tapped the new formation with a finger, before sliding her hand across it. Unnaturally smooth, but solid, like stone. "Did you know that this dragon vein was going to do that?"

"Throw away your notion that dragon veins will only do one thing. Likely, you have heard tales of what your royals have used them for in their endless war. Drain rivers, flatten mountains, raze forests, snap-freeze entire bodies of water.

"But what they do is instinctual, driven by a desire to defeat their foes in combat. A dragon vein gives the one who taps into its wellspring the ability to shape the physical world around them. But it can be used for more than simply war. Even utilitarian purposes."

Her eyes narrowed. He knew about the Nohrian-Hoshidan war? How? "But aren't dragon veins rare? Using it like that would be wasteful."

The man smirked. "They aren't rare here. Even so, they are only remnants of something greater."

"Remnants? What do you-"

She cut off with an undignified yelp as another pulse of that power that shook the intricately carved stone underneath her. The surrounding ruined town seemed to sink. Wait, no. The intricately carved block of stone they were on was rising out of the ground.

She stumbled and grabbed on to the waist-high wall, which she now recognized as more of a railing. An involuntary cry of surprise escaped her, but the sound was lost to the wind as the entire block took off past the crumbling buildings into the air.

_Flying._

What?

Corrin squinted her eyes as the wind whipped past, sending her hair trailing behind her. The wild landscape of this place rushed by in a cacophony of floating and moving landmasses, none of which she could clearly make out. The dim, moonlight-like light of the not-sun, combined with the ludicrous speed they moved made that nearly impossible.

She tried to shift her feet, but they felt glued to the stone. She soon figured out why, as her stomach lurched when the block abruptly started moving in a relative downward direction, just as quickly as it had been moving before. She would have been thrown from the block if her feet hadn't been stuck. Even so, her grip on the smooth railing tightened.

Assuming this man was telling the truth, all of it was done from the power from a dragon vein. She shivered slightly, not just from the chill of the wind as they towards their unknown destination. Everything was happening so fast.

Too fast. She glanced up at the dim not-sun. Had it really only been a day ago that she had been, well,  _whining_  to Camilla about being confined to the Northern Fortress? It seemed so childish now.

Arms crossed, the imposing man stood beside her at what was acting as the front of the flying block, seemingly unaffected by the wind or the sudden changes in direction. The violet flames which cloaked him hadn't dimmed, and though as she had discovered when she'd gripped his hand before, they didn't burn, they were still unnerving. His long, wild brown hair trailed behind him in the wind.

She winced as a twinge went through her mind.

Something about him struck her as familiar. Maybe his demeanor reminded her of Xander? He was poised, regal. Maybe he was used to leading these people?

Glancing back behind her, she saw nothing, even though she knew that the other ghostly escorts of her silent procession were still there behind her. None were currently trying to kill her, but their dead silence unnerved her.

Corrin gritted her teeth and looked away. Though she would never admit it out loud, ghosts still freaked her out. No, these weren't really ghosts – the cuts and bruises gained as she fought them could attest to that – but the irrational fear stayed.

Her stomach lurched the other way as the flying block moved in a relative upward slope, before it crested above the landline of another floating island. The speed of the block slowed, and a massive structure loomed ahead of her, situated on the largest of the floating islands she could remember seeing.

The imposing swordsman spoke, and the words were no longer lost to the wind now that they moved slower. "This is Castle Gyges, the seat of power here in Valla."

Valla? So that was the name of this place? Country?

In the dim light of the not-sun, she couldn't make out too many details, but for a castle it certainly looked more…ruined than any other castle she'd ever imagined. Squinting her eyes, Corrin could tell the work of the stone looked intricate, even though the details were lost to her in the dark.

From what she could see, it looked worn down. In some places, chunks of stone were broken off and missing completely, as if it had been under siege or attacked at some point in the past.

Oddly, there were no light sources that she could see. Even the relatively small Northern Fortress always had some light emanating from it somewhere at night. So for a castle to have none set her even more on edge. Maybe there were just none visible from here? Maybe further inside, or on another side?

Nothing about this was normal.

The block slowed even more, drawing ever closer to the looming structure. Was it going to land on a balcony or something?

Her question was answered by a glow from a set of runes on the side of the castle. The glow dissipated, and a section of the castle wall disappeared, leaving a massive hole – not one from decay, but what looked to be an intentional design – close to the top of the castle. You could fit several of the blocks she was standing on with room to spare through it. Corrin tilted her head up and still had trouble seeing the top spire of the castle. The whole thing was massive.

She was momentarily blinded from the lack of light as the block slipped through the gap into a short dark tunnel. Her eyes had almost adjusted when the block rocked to a stop.

Another pulse of power, and from the little light filtering in through the gap outside, she saw the solid stone railing of the block melt, reforming into a smoothly sloped ramp extending to the stone below. She could lift her feet again.

The man in front of her stepped down and she blinked as bright runes on the floor lit up, casting blue-tinted light on the surroundings. There were other intricately carved blocks in the area by the one she was on. Two slightly raised platforms – one blue, one brown – lay in the center of the hallway a short way in front the block, leading to what looked like a dead end.

Was this some sort of hub for travel?

The imposing man spoke as if sensing her unvoiced question. "Impressive, isn't it? The royal family once made use of these for travel where there were no transporters. It was only one of many ways that the Kingdom of Valla utilized the power of dragon veins."

Using it for something like this seemed rather…frivolous, but she was still wrapping her head around using them so casually. "So, does everyone here have access to them? How would people without draconic blood access them?"

The man shook his head. "They don't. But it no longer matters."

Corrin's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"You can dwell on that another time. Anankos awaits you in the throne room."

As the man approached the dead ended hallway, the wall ahead of her lit up with runes, similar, but different than the ones shining as lights on the walls. They were just as indecipherable as the others, but she could tell they looked different. Maybe if – no,  _when_ , she needed to think positive – she got out of this, she could ask Leo about them.

The runes shone and the wall disappeared, opening a way deeper into the castle.

Well, one thing at a time.

* * *

Azura hadn't encountered any resistance at all on her current excursion into Valla, even in Castle Gyges itself. Her fingers clenched around the haft of her lance as she neared one of the balconies above the throne room. The lack of resistance was simultaneously encouraging and unnerving. Normally, she would have been attacked by this point.

Did that mean Anankos was changing tactics? Azura gripped her lance tighter. Or, hopefully, their focus was simply on something else outside of Valla. Both of those would be bad in the long run, but it was good for her right now. Even if she pitied whoever was on the receiving end of that attention were it the case.

Nearing the end of the hall, she crouched low, and passed the archway that marked the threshold of the throne room's balcony.

Below, the area looked more broken up than she had seen it before. A decorative column, or maybe two, were toppled where before they were upright, but otherwise the room looked similar enough to how she remembered. The throne itself, one of two fully intact things in the room, still sat upright. Behind that, Anankos' seal.

Unsurprisingly, the seal was still intact. Her hand moved to her pendant. She would know when it was broken. However, the gargantuan mask-like structure at the back of Gyges throne room was more cracked than Azura had seen in it before. Not a good sign.

Should she risk Cadros' song? It would delay the seal breaking more, but it would immediately act as a beacon to her presence.

Azura's breathed in sharply when she heard the sound of footsteps mixed in with the sound of…voices? The rune on the great door to the throne room shone and it disappeared. She ducked behind the archway of the balcony alcove, heart pounding loud in her ears.

As far as she knew, Anankos' servants, the once citizens of Valla, the Vallites, didn't speak. So did that mean there was someone else alive here? How, and more importantly, why?

Was there another Vallite that had managed to escape Anankos until now? No, that seemed unlikely. If there were any other Vallites still alive, they would know to stay far,  _far_  away from here. She carefully tilted her head around the archway, trying to present as little of herself as she could.

Through the stone railing of the balcony, she spotted two people walking into the throne room. At the front a young woman with light, silvery hair put in a ponytail to the side, possibly close to her age. She wore noble-looking silver and black Nohrian styled armor, with a dark blue cape fluttering behind her. Any other details were lost from the distance between them.

An unfortunate soul who had fallen into the currently open gate at the Bottomless Canyon? Well, it might explain why she had gone unnoticed until now this time.

However, her eyes widened as what should have been an impossibility entered behind the young woman.

Azura ducked back behind the archway again. Sumeragi. The king of Hoshido, dead for thirteen years, cloaked in the violet flames that marked him as a servant of Anankos. Azura had never known him, but Mikoto would be devastated to learn the fate of her husband.

Now what though? She had done what she came to do. Staying much longer would be a wonderful way to get herself killed, or worse.

But the alive young woman in the throne room…could she really just leave her to the fate that inevitably awaited her? Was it worth risking her life for someone she didn't know? She had no real love for Nohr, but she wasn't heartless.

It would be risky, but she could probably do it.

Her choice was taken away a moment later as the familiar rasp of a blade leaving its sheathe echoed behind her.

* * *

Castle Gyges' throne room wasn't at all like Corrin expected a throne room to look.

Well, no. That wasn't exactly right. The great door, which towered at least three times her height, opening by disappearing was impressive, if just by its sheer scale. Inside, the mosaic designs on the floor carved a long trail up to an impressive, if unused, looking throne.

It was what was behind the throne which made her pause. Another thing to add to a long list of things she thought no one would believe her about.

It looked like the head of a massive beast had crashed through the back of the room. And at the center of the wall, amid rubble, an upright titanic cracked stone-gray mask, tilted lightly at an angle. It reminded her of paintings of full face covering opera masks Elise had once shown her, but far more sinister.

Especially since even though the mask had its eyes closed, they seemed to be staring directly at her.

A surprised, feminine sounding yell echoed from somewhere above followed by the familiar clanking of weapons clashing, breaking the imaginary staring contest. Corrin tensed, glanced about, but saw no one.

"What was that?" she asked the imposing man warily.

"An intruder. They are being dealt with. No need to concern yourself with it." One of his hands, still cloaked in violet flames, landed on her shoulder. She tensed, eying the flames warily, even though they didn't hurt. "For now, sit on the throne."

"I…what?" The request caught her off guard. Wouldn't this guy's leader – Anankos, was it? – be the one who would be sitting here whenever he arrived?

"Just do it." The hand on her shoulder tightened pushing her forward slightly.

She shrugged off the hand on her shoulder, walking forward of her own volition. "Fine." Even so, when she stepped up to the throne, she hesitated. It was just a fancy chair.

Eventually, she sat. Though she couldn't really feel it through her armor, she imagined that the stone of the throne was cool to the touch. For a moment she sat there, feeling apprehensive, but mostly just tired and little bit foolish. She searched, but there wasn't even the feeling of a dragon vein either.

Wait.

She strained her ears. That sounded like…water?

The thrill had only a moment to trill a warning a moment before a tidal wave crashed into her mind.

So many voices all at once that it wasn't even voices anymore, just noise. An eternity passed into silence.

Then, a single voice. Not exactly menacing, but its intensity made her insides squirm.

_You are early._

What?

_For you to come here on your own is…unexpected, but not unwelcome. Garon was meant to send you._

King Garon? Her father?

_No. He was never your father. Garon kidnapped you, called you his daughter. He only placed a binding on your memories when you were kidnapped. Let me remove that bind._

The tidal wave crashed through a mental barrier she hadn't even known existed. Images – no, memories – crashed through her mind. People she once called family. Places she intimately knew, but could barely remember. Everything swamped her consciousness, making her feel sick.

She had once lived in Hoshido.

_But even they lied to you. You were taken from the people you called family. And eventually, your family in Hoshido gave up looking for you and replaced you with another. They betrayed you._

A question wormed its way past the flood in her mind.

Who are you?

_I am Anankos, the Silent Dragon, ruler of the kingdom of Valla. I am glad you are here, for I need you to help me with something._

Why should she?

_We are kin._

Kin?

_Did you not often wonder about your heritage? The world may have forgotten what manaketes are, but I have not. I can help you realize your full potential, realize your birthright. Help me, Corrin. That is all I ask._

Her head hurt.

_(If you don't willingly accept his offer, you will lose yourself completely.)_

That voice was different. Not menacing. It was warning her. She immediately trusted them far more than Anankos, even though her instincts screamed against the idea.

"I will."

_Good._

The tidal wave faded to a still pool. She was distantly aware of herself slumping on the throne. Something violet wisped up into her field of vision.

Then everything faded into a pit of silence.

* * *

_Drip._

The sound of liquid echoed in tandem with the sound of bare feet slapping against a stone floor. Her footsteps.

_Drip._

A drop of something landed near her.

Not from rain. Not water, either.

_Drip._

Blood.

She opened her eyes. A torch situated in a metal hook cast flickering light on the uneven corridor. The stone of the walls wasn't completely smooth. Was it part of a natural cavern being used for something?

But, why was she here? She…couldn't exactly remember. She took another unsteady step forward.

She needed to get somewhere.

Where?

Anna blinked.

_Drip._

Her arm pulsed with the heartbeat not her own, the black blood leaked, dripping out of her fingertips. Anna stopped moving. She was and wasn't in the corridor of the prison anymore.

_Drip._

Nor was she in that cell anymore. Her entire field of vision was empty, bereft of anything distinct. It was all hazy, out of focus.

No, wait.

For a moment, she saw the stone of the cavern being used as a corridor from a moment ago, then the sand of a desert. She hesitantly stepped forward, before the desert snapped away as-

She blinked.

-she stumbled over a loose rock, her bare foot crunching painfully on its sharp edge. On instinct, her left arm went out to the cavern wall beside her to catch her fall. Her hand held against the surface of the rock, and she lifted her other hand to her aching head.

She stopped, catching sight of the pulsing black veins of the appendage. She could feel the pulse extending to her heart.

_Drip._

"Who's there?"

A person – a guard? – came into view, a sword held loosely at his side.

"Wait, you're one of the prisoners that just came in. How did you get out of your…" He trailed off.

_Drip._

"What…is that?" The sword he held was raised threateningly, as if to ward her off. "What are you?"

What did he mean?

Anna blinked.

An echo of the guard's surprised yell followed as she disappeared from his view. She took another step in the place of the not-corridor, her pace surer, more confident. Feet – one bloody from the rock, one not – crunched on sand as she trekked towards a colossal structure towering in the distance, stretching up past the sky.

The only thing distinctly in sight, in focus, among the barren dunes of the desert. She took another step towards the structure.

_Drip._

Anna spared a glance behind her. The leaking black blood from the arm that wasn't hers was leaving a trail on the sand. Another trail of the substance floated behind her, droplets of it hanging in globules suspended in the air. Even as she watched, the drops bubbled, festered, burning holes into the sand. Into the air.

She blinked.

Someone in front of her startled, the torch they carried dropping in their surprise, casting looming shadows on the cavern wall as it fell to the floor. A knife was quickly stabbed towards her.

It lodged in her right forearm. She hadn't moved her arm to block that…had she?

_Drip._

Anna blinked.

She knew that the knife in her arm should be causing her absolute agony. But for all intents and purposes, it wasn't her arm right now, so she couldn't feel it.

She was more worried about the yawning pits from the leaking black blood, expanding into a chasm that opened into the sand of the desert, into the air.

_Drip._

She was making it worse, even though she knew nothing she could do right now would stop it.

She blinked.

"There she is! Surround her!"

Two guards blocked the stone corridor in front of her, and by the sound of it, more were behind her, blocking off escape from behind.

_Drip._

"Surrender peacefully, and you won't get hurt."

She took a step forward, heedless of the warning. The guard who spoke seemed surprised a moment, but the other beside him swung his sword, the flat of the blade aimed at her head to stun her.

But it moved right through her. She took another step forward and moved  _through_ the guard.

How?

Anna blinked.

She moved through them because she wasn't really there, not entirely.

_Drip._

The chasm in the desert and the air behind her had opened up into an abyss. A pit. Deeper and deeper it rotted and crumbled, ever downwards, slowly revealing a multi-leveled labyrinth spiraling lower into the pit. Curious, she turned and carefully peered into its unending depth.

_Drip._

A drop of that blood dripped over the edge into that pit. Her view travelled with it as it did, falling endlessly. Until at last, she splashed onto the festering ground. In a moment she was in two places at once. Split.

She was in the bottom of that pit looking up at Anna.

Anna was standing at the top looking down at herself.

_Thump._

The beat of an extra heart.

Anna blinked.

There wasn't anyone in the pit because there was no pit. Just her and the endless desert.

She turned back towards the towering structure and started walking again, more quickly this time. Her bare feet slipped into the ground of the stone floor of the prison's corridor a moment before the sand returned. Her bloody foot wasn't bloody anymore.

Anna blinked.

She had a walking companion. The one with six dead eyes on his cloak, the one who was and wasn't Robin.

He left no prints in the sand.

"Lost again are we?" There was an almost amused smile on his face. Nothing about this was funny.

"No. I'm heading to the tower, see?" Her voice was still there. Again, she had already found it before, so she really shouldn't be surprised.

Her right arm pointed unbidden at the structure, and the man's eyes followed her finger, which while still pulsing, no longer dripped blood. The knife from earlier was still there.

_Thump._

The man squinted his eyes, but didn't seem to see anything. "If you say so."

Her arm lowered as they kept walking pace increasing to something furious. "So, how are you here? Didn't you say you were dead?"

"Well, maybe dead isn't the right word. Dead normally means there's a body, but the one I initially thought was mine is still walking around with you and that kitsune."

"So what are you then?"

"Honestly, I'm still figuring it out myself. An aggregate of memories, a consciousness, a personality? It's hard to tell." The man shrugged, and the world didn't move. "Even so, I feel like I'm slowly slipping away piece by little piece, floating amidst thousands in a similar situation. I've only found one of them that actually talks back, and he's not exactly all there. Bit rough talking to someone who's slightly insane, if you know what I mean."

She didn't know how to respond to that.

"By, the way." He pointed, his finger hovered over the handle of the knife still embedded in her right forearm. "Doesn't that hurt?"

"It's not my arm right now." That explained everything. Obviously.

_Thump._

"And you're really not worried about that at all?"

"Should I be?"

"Very."

She blinked.

She stood in front of a locked cell, its occupant, a kitsune, wounded. They startled and looked at her warily through the bars before his eyes widened.

"Anna?"

That was her…right?

Close enough.

He looked closer. "Is that you? Where did you come from…? There were guards running by before, was it because you escaped somehow?"

She didn't answer because she didn't know.

"Actually, no, never mind. Are you alright?" His eyes widened as she stepped into the light of a nearby torch, looking towards the arm. "You, uh, have a knife in your arm."

It wasn't her arm.

_Thump._

She lifted her right arm up and reached into the lock of the cell door. It passed right through until it encountered resistance halfway through. Until after a small  _shift_ , it didn't.

The lock wasn't there at all anymore. She swung the cell door open.

Job done, she moved through the bars into the cell and towards the back wall, onwards to her real destination.

_Thump._

The kitsune quickly, but clumsily backed into the corner away from her. She paused, halfway through the wall, her eyes tracking his retreating form.

He stopped. They stared at each other a long moment.

"How are you doing that?"

_Thump._

Anna blinked.

Her foot pushed down on what should have been solid ground, but there was nothing to set her foot on. A pit. It was different from the one before, not unnatural, just a chasm surrounding the towering structure in the desert. There was nothing to grab on to.

She was so tired. She let her momentum carry her forward, downward.

Something grasped her leg and her body swung, crashing painfully against the cliff face. Twisting her head to look up, she saw herself.

Every Anna looked similar, but there were always differences if you knew where to look. Her savior looked exactly like her.

_Thump._

Down to the knife in her arm.

The Anna that shouldn't be here grinned. And spoke. The voice was in her head, mingling with her own thoughts, chiding, guiding. She'd already heard it before.

Because it may as well have been her own thoughts.

With strength not hers they hauled Anna up out of the pit and tossed her over the chasm to the towering structure.

She blinked.

Shouts of alarm greeted her arrival. It looked like an office. In front of her a man with white hair and six eyes on his hand stared at her, confused.

She was here. Now what?

Something passed through her and smashed onto the desk she realized she was standing in, sending some sort of liquid spilling across the wood. She turned toward the aggressor.

The reason she was here.

_Thump._

* * *

Shura was ready to make his move when a woman with red hair appeared out of nowhere, pulled a bloody knife  _out of her arm_  and stabbed it with ridiculous ease through Kotaro's head. All while standing  _in_ the daimyo's desk. The goblet he must have reflexively swung down like a knife at her when she appeared phased right through her.

The goblet rolled off the desk and clanged loudly to the floor.

Shura was just as shocked as the other four alive in the study. He didn't know what kind of magic let a person do something like that, but frankly he didn't want to.

The deed was done. Kotaro was very clearly dead. And somehow, Shura was still alive.

Now he had to get out of here.

The other ninja in the room dashed forward in a noble yet foolish attempt to avenge the daimyo. His weapon had just as much an effect on the woman as the goblet, passing through like she wasn't fully there.

In the time it took the ninja to do that, Robin took up the chair he'd been sitting on and swung it into the back of the ninja's head, knocking him to the floor. Shura darted forward at the opening, wrestling with the man's knife a moment before plunging it into his neck.

The two guards who had brought Robin in stood still with mouths agape. Looking back and forth between him and Robin and the woman whose whole body had started was flickering, like a candle flame sputtering near the end of its wick.

They clearly didn't get paid enough for this.

The private office shook lightly and the distant sound of an explosion echoed past the door. His crew's distraction finally coming to bear, even though the red-haired woman had perhaps unknowingly done more than anything they did ever could. Though they couldn't know that.

Taking advantage of the guard's confusion, Shura chucked a handful of spicy chili powder from a pouch at his side towards the one with a sword, temporarily blinding them. He leapt forward, ducking past a hasty thrust of the other guard's naginata before quickly snapping a wrist, breaking it, and disarming them of their weapon. He returning the pointy end straight back into them.

He readied to deal with the other one, but Robin charged into them, knocking them over. A brief brutal struggle and the other one lay dead. Clearly he was used to more than just magic for battle. Good thing, since his magic was locked by those seals.

"So, Robin is it?"

Robin eyed him warily. "And you are?"

Shura took of the mask and hood of his disguise. Seeing faces generally would put people more at ease. "Name's Shura, leader of a band of likeminded rogues. I infiltrated Kotaro's elite guard to take him out, but, well..."

Shura's eyes flicked to the flickering form of the red-haired woman. As he watched, her eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed onto the floor, out of the desk. "She beat me to it."

Robin quickly went over to the unconscious woman. "Her name is Anna."

So she was one of the merchant sisters? What was one of them doing with an assassin? "You planned this with her?"

Robin shook his head, mouth set in a grim line as he checked her pulse. "No. We were heading to Suterursu looking for information. That guy in the black cloak captured us and brought us there. This," he gestured to the corpses, "was unexpected."

"Well, planned or not, it made my job easier." Shura paused, considering his options. Should he offer to take Robin with him? Well, if nothing else, it would be interesting to hear the kid's story. "I'm about to get out of here. You're free to come with me if you like."

Robin didn't turn to face him. "You're not going to try and force me?"

Shura snorted. "Kid, I don't care what you do."

"Kid?"

"Talk to me again when you're going on fifty and I may consider calling you something else. So, what's it going to be?"

Robin paused, considering. "I have another friend I need to find here first. Then maybe I'll consider it."

Shura shrugged. "Your funeral. If you do end up surviving, my crew is rendezvousing at the northwestern edge of Suterursu in a tavern called the  _Black Lotus_. The proprietress is sympathetic towards us. We'll leave at dawn with or without you. "

"Got it." Robin grabbed the sword off of the guard he'd taken down. "Could you take Anna with you when you go there?"

Shura rolled his eyes. "Fine." He went over to the unconscious Anna sister, picked her up and grunted as he slung her over his shoulder. Her right arm hung in front. Oddly, she had what looked like a black tattoo in the pattern of her veins running up her right arm, disappearing up the sleeve of her shirt.

Her turned to Robin. "Your friend is probably being held in the prisons. There's a way to access it nearby. If you can get them out, remember, the  _Black Lotus_ before dawn." He shifted the merchant sister to a more suitable carrying position. "I'll leave her in the proprietress' care regardless."

"Thanks." And Robin was out the door.

Shura shook his head. Kids. This would come back to bite him somehow. He just knew it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything is connected.
> 
> Also, wow this one was tough to write. I'm satisfied with how it turned out though. Thoughts?


	17. Cracks in Their World

**Chapter 17 – Cracks in Their World**

* * *

The song surged through Azura's veins as she sang, her lance slashing a wide defensive arc in front of her. A blade of water trailed after the swing, slicing through the Vallites in front of her.

To others it was just a song. But to one of her bloodline – the blood of Cadros, first king of Valla – combined with the pendant, it was a weapon.

Where the blade sliced and the water streamed, the violet flames cloaking the Vallites were snuffed out in their entirety, collapsing to the ground. It didn't kill them because they were already dead, It was only the link between them and Anankos that was muted, and in many cases outright severed, rendering as they truly were: the lifeless corpses of a once proud nation.

Releasing the note she'd been holding, she ran past the stunned and fallen Vallites and quickly passed through a dissolving runic door in the side of Castle Gyges – likely once a servant's entrance – dashing across the grass to the nearest transporter in the castle courtyard.

She didn't know who the young woman in the throne room was, but it was clear Anankos didn't want Azura there to interfere. It pained her to think what would happen to her, but now that she'd been discovered, she needed to get out of Valla quickly, or she would be overwhelmed and face the same fate.

Adept as she was in using the pendant's power, she would still get tired from drawing on its power after too long. At least here in Valla, the Vallite curse couldn't affect her.

Her feet ground to a halt as a different group of Vallites cut off access to the transporter in front of her. It seemed clear to her that the soldiers from before were sent to slow her down while these ones got into a position to prevent her from using the transporter.

Glancing behind her she heard the slight hum of a runic door dissolving. At the head of what she assumed to be a troop, katanas drawn, was Sumeragi. If the stories Mikoto told her about his ferociousness in battle were true, she wouldn't last long against him. And her previous visits taught her that, especially this close to Anankos, the Vallites whose link had only been muted could be re-established very quickly.

It would be risky, but she needed to get out of this quickly. Her pendant started glowing as she began singing. Water drawn from the air, from the plants in the courtyard, whirled around her and started glowing laced with the pendant's power.

Ironic, that a piece of Anankos' own dragonstone would be used against him.

In a sure motion she firmly planted her lance in front of her. The water surged out in a cone in front of her, simultaneously throwing the soldiers away and clearing a path in front of her. She wasted no time admiring her handiwork, and dashed forward onto the transporter.

As it activated she turned around to see Sumeragi raised one the katana and sent it whirling toward her. Through the unpleasant gut-wrenching sensation of teleportation magic she had just enough presence of mind to shift out of the way of the sword as it lodged into the courtyard's stone wall behind her.

The chaotic scene at the castle winked out of view, replaced momentarily by a feeling of nothingness.

When it ended and she quickly she clutched her pendant, hummed and it sent out a pulse. She waited a moment.

Felt no feedback. She was alone, or at least, there were no Vallites around.

Breathing out a shaky sigh of relief, Azura stepped off the transporter onto a stone floor of some ruined building. Though she had no idea who designed the transporters, she was thankful they couldn't be used by the reanimated Vallites. Whether it was because they weren't alive, or if it had something to do with Anankos, she didn't know.

For now, assuming Anankos came after her, she had at least a little time to get back to a large enough pool of water and get back to Castle Shirasagi in Hoshido.

She started walking, lightly biting her lip as she tried to think of how to break the news to Mikoto that her late husband's body had been possessed by Anankos.

How did you tell someone that?

Break it gently? Let it fall out bluntly? Either way, she wasn't looking forward to it.

Her foot slipped on something and she stumbled, nearly tripping. Drawing herself out of her thoughts, she brought her lance to bear, only to watch just an arrow roll away from her across the once-polished stone floor of the building – missing a roof – she had come out into.

"An arrow?" she whispered.

Looking closer to her surroundings, she noted that the building the transporter had led to looked like a ruined shrine. Its roof was long since gone, letting in the dimmed light of the Valla's artificial sun, but the most of the columns were still there, though some were toppled over and the whole place in desperate need of repair.

Had she not alerted Anankos to her presence this visit, she would have searched around for more clues of what they had worshiped here.

So why where there so many arrows scattered about? A remnant of a battle, but from when?

It made her apprehensive, worried. As she continued trekking through the ruined shrine, she notice more and more arrows, in positions that seemed to suggest someone had been taking cover behind these pillars. In some places, they practically littered the once polished floor.

Stepping down the steps of the shrine, she paused. To her right an open field, to her left-

Her eyes widened and an involuntary shudder went down her spine.

Near the edge of a forest, huge darkened, possibly burned areas of grass stuck out like a cherry blossoms atop a pile of corpses.

Stepping back up the steps of the shrine to try and get a better look, she spotted what looked like the center of an explosion magic, dark magic if the unnatural chill she felt was any indication. It radiated outward from the center in an oppressive wave.

Some of the trees at the edge of the forest had been torn, or ripped apart and some just looked dead. The work of powerful dark magic, something she couldn't afford to trifle with. She started walking in the other direction.

But halfway through the field, she stopped as she felt her pendant pulse. She shifted her lance from a makeshift walking stick to a weapon as she slipped into a defensive stance, looking for the threat.

She didn't see any-

Her pendant pulsed again and her vision blurred as she clutched her head. Felt like something was trying to rip her apart from the inside.

Then the air beside Azura  **ripped** _._

Falling, lance tumbling out of her grip. Her head…hurt. She realized she was on the ground. She looked up trying to see an assailant, but couldn't see.

Her vision swam, but then, for a brief moment, everything was clear.

And then it wasn't.

There was something there.

Maybe?

What…what was she looking at? She squinted, but it didn't make the… disturbance in the air any clearer. Even as she looked, it shifted through twisted shapes, though indecipherable patterns then back before she could define anything definitive about it.

The moment stretched an eternity before it was gone.

She blinked away spots, rubbing her eyes. Her memory of it felt hazy, and the only sure thing she was left with was that whatever that was, it felt very, very wrong.

She lay on the grass for a long time before her senses fully returned to her. What…was that? Was it a symptom of Anankos' slipping seal?

No, this seemed different. Could it be something from else from Valla? There was so much she didn't know about it's past. Maybe Mikoto would know something?

She rubbed her eyes, pushing past the sudden exhaustion she felt. Picking up her lance, she used it to push herself back up. There wasn't time to contemplate it now. She had to get out of Valla.

Looking towards out towards the constantly shifting landscape, she oriented herself to the nearest body of water, and sunk back to Hoshido.

* * *

Anna disappeared, flickering out of sight while still standing partway through the cell wall. Her scent – there was something very wrong about it – vanished abruptly after. If he went by just scent alone, Kaden would've said she hadn't actually been there at all.

But then he glanced over at the cell door, still open and ajar.

Cautiously, stifling a groan as his injuries protested at more sudden movements, he padded over to the bars and looked down to where Anna had – he cringed when he remembered – stuck her hand into, or maybe through, the lock.

Except, there wasn't a lock there anymore, just smooth metal, as if someone had forged the door, but forget to set a lock into it.

Something unnatural was going on, and it wasn't hard to guess that Robin and Anna's initial disappearing act had something to do with it.

His ears twitched at the sound of boots rushing down the corridor, he hurriedly closed the cell – or rather held it in place so it looked like it was closed since it didn't have a lock anymore – as a pair of frazzled looking guards rushed past.

What was going on?

Ah, whatever.

He could worry the details later. Even if he really didn't understand the how or why of what was going on, Kaden realized very quickly that Anna… _somehow_ opening his cell seemed like a clear enough signal that they were going to escape. The guards were probably a by-product of Anna doing whatever she was doing.

He turned his ears and nose turned forward, listening intently. Nothing but the crackle of a nearby torch and the rapidly fading sounds of the guards footsteps. Easing open the cell door he peered out, tasting the air, tail twitching. The way to his right was the way the guards had gone and smelled staler than the other way. So instead, he headed left.

Even though he'd been knocked out when he was first put in here, Kaden could tell by the slightly musty, earthy smell that permeated the whole area that this was dungeon situated in a cavern. The smoke from the torches flitted up through small holes in the ceiling, no doubt leading somewhere the surface above.

He ran his fingers along an unnaturally smooth portion of the wall, before they bumped into more natural rock. Parts of the dungeon were cut from the rock, excavated out of what felt like a natural cavern, carved into its current purpose as a dungeon likely some decades or even centuries past.

Or in other words, he needed to go up to get out. Take the way that smelled like fresher air.

Before long, he started encountering other cells, some with occupants, most were asleep or tucked away in the far corner away from the cell's door. All wore the same simple grey tunic and trousers he wore.

Thought he kept his pace as quick and quiet as he could as he passed them, eventually, one of the inmates noticed him.

Unlike the others, the man was leaned with his back to the bars, rocking back and forth, muttering something incomprehensible to himself. His long, matted hair hid his eyes. Kaden crept past like he had the other inmates, but the man suddenly jerked upright, eyes locking on to his.

"The pit will not have me."

The words caught Kaden off guard, and he froze, staring.

"What?"

"The pit will not have me." The man abruptly stood, and started shaking and banging the bars. "The pit will not have me. I will never submit. The pit will not have me!"

He backed away quickly and though it agitated his injuries, he broke into as quick a run as he was able. Clearly that one had gone mad. He had no idea what that man was yelling about was, but he didn't really care. He couldn't afford to get caught when a guard came to check on the disturbance. These people imprisoned here? He didn't know why they were down here.

He owed them nothing.

Or, that was what he told himself as he shoved down a twinge of guilt. Mostly, he didn't want to risk getting caught.

Despite the disturbance, Anna doing whatever she had been doing seemed to be drawing the full attention of the guards.

A distant rumble sounded from somewhere above, shaking a bit of dust from the cavern ceiling to rain onto him. Or maybe there was something else going on? Well, either way it worked in his favor.

Probably.

Better to just roll with it. His own life and time spent helping with Nina's heists told him that you took advantage of everything, every opportunity you had, planned ones and lucky breaks alike.

Hopefully, there wasn't a trap waiting for him at the end of this. Injured as he was, he wasn't sure if he could face or even run from it, especially without his beaststone.

Kaden shored up his thoughts when the sound of voices came from the left side of the t-shaped intersection up ahead. Pressing himself against the wall, he carefully peered around the corner.

A red-faced, important looking human dressed in traditional samurai garb – possibly the warden – was barking orders over a small desk. The lantern on the desk illuminated three harried guards about three or so yards away. After the maybe-warden finished, the three let off a quick bow.

Kaden's heart lurched as they turned in his direction. Ducking back, he pressed himself against the wall.

He felt the whoosh of air as the three rushed passed him towards the right end of the t-shaped intersection, not stopping at all to look in his direction. Nina would've chided him for the unnecessary risk. Or maybe chuckled at his close call.

He let out the breath he'd unconsciously been holding. From the way the ground sloped slightly downwards, it seemed like the way the guards had gone went back deeper into the dungeon. If the important looking human actually was the warden, then it seemed likely to him that this was close to the exit.

Hearing an annoyed growl, Kaden listened in, once again peering carefully around the corridor. The important looking maybe-warden was talking to another, a bored looking onmyoji he hadn't noticed at first.

"You already sent lockdown order above?"

"Yes, Warden Damu, as soon as we received the first report of a phantom prisoner." Wow he  _sounded_  bored too. The onmyoji tapped the lip of a fist-sized metal tube embedded into the wall, likely one leading up to a similar opening above so they could relay messages back and forth.

"Good." The warden nodded, seemingly satisfied, before shaking his head. "Honestly, phantoms. Scared of 'phantoms of the escaped prisoner.' What are they, twelve?" He scoffed. "Don't you go believing anything those guys are spouting."

"Yes, Warden Damu." Was it the onmyoji's job to summon wind-based spirits to use wind based spirits to send messages up? Maybe he didn't get paid enough for his job or something?

"They're just trying to cover their hides after letting a prisoner loose. They don't know this prison as well as I do." He thumped his hand proudly over his chest in what looked like a sort of salute. "The daimyo put me in charge of this prison going on thirty years when he first came to power. Not once has a prisoner escaped." He looked over to the onmyoji. "You know why don't you?"

There was a sigh. "Yes, Warden Damu."

Yeah, definitely didn't get paid enough.

The onmyoji gestured vaguely in the direction of what looked like a small alcove past the desk at the end of the hallway. "There's only one way in and out."

"Yup."

Kaden tuned out the conversation, examining the area he'd initially mistaken for an alcove closer. Tilting his head slightly, he could see that it extended upward.

The bottom of a shaft.

Looking closer, in the middle he recognized part of a Nohrian engineered pulley system, one that would draw a platform up and down. The particulars of how it worked went over his head, but he remembered seeing fancy versions of the 'lift' all over Cyrkensia when he'd been there before.

He ducked back again, mind turning over his options. The platform of the lift wasn't at the bottom, which meant it had to be above somewhere.

So what could he do? He had no idea how this one worked and he was in no condition to take these people out, especially without his beaststone. If he wasn't injured, he might have been able to dash past the two and shimmy up the rope.

But there was no guarantee that the onmyoji wouldn't launch magic at him, or the guards that had to be above wouldn't rain arrows down on him the moment he tried.

He was stuck. Even if there were stairs, that had its own set of issues.

There was a squeal of metal as mechanisms engaged and the pulley system started turning.

Kaden saw the warden tense, hand laying on the longer of two katanas sheathed at his side. "There shouldn't be anyone coming down here. I've ordered a lockdown." He glared at the onmyoji. "You  _did_ send the order for a lockdown?"

"Of course, Warden Damu. Perhaps there's a message incoming explaining this?"

They both looked to the tube, but nothing was forthcoming.

The warden growled. "No, something isn't right. The timing with this 'phantom prisoner' is too much of a coincidence." He drew the longer of the two katanas. "Something is going on."

The onmyoji nodded and pulled out a set of battle scrolls and the two moved to flank the sides of the alcove.

A minute passed in tense silence. The lift's platform settled down and the mechanisms ground to a halt.

No one was standing on the platform.

Kaden grinned, picking up a familiar scent.

The two stepped onto the platform, looking around warily. "You don't think they just messed up, and accidently lowered the lift, do you?" The onmyoji asked. "False alarm?"

"No, they're far more disciplined than-"

He cut off as Robin, wearing a simple tunic and trousers matching his own, dropped from somewhere above, out of Kaden's sight. Had he been hanging on the rope?

Robin landed on the onmyoji, the force of his landing pushing the man to the ground, before he stabbed a katana – likely pilfered from one of the guards above – through him, cutting off a scream.

Kaden was already moving towards the pair as Robin rolled out of the way of the quick downward swing from the warden, leaving the pilfered katana stabbed in the dead onmyoji, darting around a few quick swings.

Why wasn't he using his magic? The silence festal the cloaked man had used on him would have worn off already.

Whatever. Grabbing the lantern from the desk desk as he rushed past, ignoring the ominous sounding crack from his ribs and the pain it that followed, Kaden chucked it at the warden. Surpisingly, it shattered against his head.

Though he'd meant it just as a distraction, the spilled oil ignited and the warden quickly dropped his katana in favor of attempting to put out the flames. Robin swooped in, grab it finished the warden off with his own sword.

He turned toward Kaden, raising the katana defensively.

Kaden quickly backed up, holding his palms out disarmingly. "Whoa, whoa, easy, it's just me."

"Kaden." Robin let out at tense breath and lowered the katana. "Come on, let's go." He started walking back towards the lift.

Kaden's nose twitching uncomfortably at the smell of blood from the deceased pair. "You're not even going to ask how I escaped?"

Robin gave him an unimpressed looking stare. "I doubt it's half as interesting as how I got free of the daimyo."

Kaden startled. "Wait, daimyo? As in the one in Suterusu?" Robin nodded. "But we were  _ages_  away from there. At least a good weeks forth of walking."

"Get on the first lift, and then we'll talk. We shouldn't stand around too long waiting for more guards to come."

"Right, sorry." As soon as he boarded the platform, Robin pulled a nearby lever and it groaned some as the mechanisms engaged. "So was I really out for that long?"

Robin shook his head. "No. The man who captured us teleported us here soon after you and Anna went unconscious."

"Seriously? That far?" He'd heard of short distance capturing and rescuing before, but that didn't even work consistently, at least from what he heard. And even though Kaden wasn't a mage, it seemed like a waste of energy.

Robin just scratched his nose in an almost dismissive manner. "Yeah."

"You're just going to ignore it?"

"More like setting it to the side the think on it later. Regardless, the daimyo had heard about what happened in Izumo and used that guy to bring me to him quickly. Seemed he was interested in hiring me for my services."

"And?"

"I declined."

"He's dead."

"Yes."

Kaden frowned. Another nation's leader, killed just like that. "More of that magic of yours?"

"No." Robin bent down and wiped the katana clean on the robes of the onmyoji. "Another one of these guys up above put a seal on my magic. I'm nowhere near as effective in combat without it. Even if I'd wanted to, I don't think I could have managed breaking it."

Kaden frowned, remembering their talk around the campfire from what felt like forever ago. "I thought you were familiar with that sort of stuff."

"I'm more specialized in curses and hexes. Seals like this," he turned his body showing Kaden his arm and tapped a slightly glowing, intricate looking seal on his arm, "are different. I haven't encountered this one before. Maybe if I had more time I could figure something out on my own, but well…"

"We're pressed for time?"

"Somewhat. There's another group here, a band of rogues led by a man named Shura. He was here to assassinate the Mokushujin daimyo. We're meeting up with them after we get out of here."

"So was this Shura the one who killed the daimyo?"

"No. He didn't kill the daimyo. It was Anna."

"Anna…"

He saw Robin cross his arms as he looked over to him. "You don't seem that surprised."

"She was the one who released me from my cell." He paused, trying to think of how to say it. "Or, maybe released isn't exactly the right word. She appeared out nowhere with a knife in her arm, stuck her hand into the lock and it just…" He trailed off.

"Just what?" Robin prompted.

Kaden let out a frustrated breath, rubbing his forehead irritably. "I don't know. There just wasn't a lock there anymore. Then she walked partway through the wall and disappeared. But the whole time, something wasn't right. She was…faded. Like how you were talking about before."

Robin closed his eyes, bringing his right hand, the one that had a purple tattoo on it, to his chin. "I…see.

"I don't think you do."

"Heh." He shook his head a wan grin appearing before it just as quickly gone. "No, you're right. I don't. Not really. But regardless of what it was, after she disappeared from your cell, she somehow made her way to the late daiymo's office. She appeared  _inside_ the daiymo's desk, took that knife you were talking about out of her arm and just…" he gave a helpless looking shrug. "put it into his head."

Kaden let that sink in for a moment. The silence was filled with the creaking of the mechanisms. He glanced up. How long was this shaft? It had to have been more than a minute or two now.

He shuffled his feet some, ignoring the throbbing of his injuries. Eventually, he broke the silence again.

"So where is she now?"

"Hm? Oh, she's with Shura."

Kaden's mouth fell open a little. "You left her unconscious in the care of an assassin? Are you insane?"

Robin crossed his arms. "You'd prefer I left you down here?"

"Well, no, but…"

"What's done is done. Shura seems trustworthy enough and if he's good on his word he'll leave her in the care of the proprietress of an inn named the  _Black Lotus_."

"That's…" He let out an annoyed groan. "Never mind."

At last the lift came to a stop at a landing at the bottom of a set of stairs. Two guards lay dead to the side. Likely Robin's handiwork. The décor changed from hollowed out cavern to something more akin to the styles of building found in Mokushu.

Robin stepped past the dead guards towards a door on the landing, sliding it open. "Our things are probably in here. Seems like a storeroom for prisoner's affects. It's likely that's where they stashed my cloak."

And if it was anywhere, his beaststone was likely with his confiscated belongings. Would it be worth digging through everything to try and find it?

He was already moving.

Better to potentially lose a bit of time then go back to the kitsune to ask for one.

But as Kaden stepped into the room, he couldn't help but be taken aback, by the breadth of it. "It's…really large."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

Rows and rows of hanging cloaks, piles of clothing, barrels full of junk in various states of repair. The room stretched and twisted quite a ways back.

If he had to guess, the room looked like where all the belongings stripped off of prisoners were stored. But it felt like there was more in here than there could be prisoners. He'd only seen a portion of the dungeon, but the amount of stuff being kept here was ridiculous in comparison. Maybe they just never cleared it out from previous prisoners?

He followed Robin, who had already set off deeper into the room, though a veritable tunnel of hanging cloth.

"Do you know where you're going?" He called. The sound was partially absorbed by the sheer amount of fabric.

"No." Robin called back. "But my cloak is very obvious. If this place has any sense of organization, yours and Anna's stuff should be near that." He stopped, looking back to him. "Do you think you could track where our stuff is by scent?"

"Maybe, but I wouldn't count on it." He began trying to sift out his own scent from the myriad others mingling in the air, but quickly found that there was just too many scents for that to work. "Yeah not happening."

"Too bad. Looks like it's the old fashioned way."

Unfortunately, there was a lot to go through. Robin sifted through piles of clothing, while he stuck to barrels and boxes of junk looking for the glint of his beaststone. Time ticked onward and he began getting nervous, until-

"Ah! Here it is."

Kaden looked up from where he was digging through a trunk of stuff to find Robin holding out his cloak. "Find the rest of our stuff too?"

"No. But it's possible it's nearby." Robin swung his cloak on, fastening it, seeming a bit calmer. "Or they ought to be if this place has any sense of organization. I wouldn't count on anything but your clothes being here."

Kaden's heart beat a little quicker. "Why's that?"

Robin patted one of the pockets inside his cloak. "I'm missing a good chunk of my stuff. Most of what's left is just notes. The tomes and medicines I had are gone."

They both tensed at a sound echoing from somewhere outside.

"What was that?"

"Doubt it was just rats. I'm going to go scout around and make sure no one's come here to snoop around."

"You want to split up?"

"You're not in much condition to fight right now. Stay put and keep looking. Hide if you need to."

"Wait!" But he was already gone.

Kaden let out an annoyed breath and started digging around where Robin had found his cloak. If Robin's valuables were gone, did that mean his beaststone wasn't there either?

Sure enough, he soon found Anna's dark maroon cloak and clothes followed by his own. His heart sunk as his hand dived into the right side pocket finding nothing, then the left one.

His beaststone wasn't there.

No, no, no.

Whether his captors knew it's actual value or not, it looked valuable enough to sell for at least a pittance, so they'd probably taken the end he grabbed his and Anna's remaining things stuffed them in a nearby ratty looking satchel and started towards the storage room entrance.

Kaden's ears perked up as he heard the door slide open, then froze as a familiar scent pricked his nose. The same scent of the man who'd captured them in the forest. Why was he in here?

"I know you're in here, kitsune."

Kaden hurriedly ducked behind a nearby heap of clothing.

"Are you looking for something in particular? Perhaps I can help you."

Yeah, not happening.

Kaden said nothing, and instead focused on looking for another way out. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything save the door he'd come through, and there wouldn't be any windows underground.

He tensed when he heard the man voice coming closer. "You know," the man droned on, "I'm beginning to doubt the daimyo's claims of the security of his secret dungeons. He claimed that no one had ever escaped before, but how does that explain you, very much not confined?

"With all the scuffle going on above I decide to have look to see what was going on. And what do I find, but Kotaro dead and Robin escaped. Did he come to rescue you and the merchant girl?"

So he didn't know what had happened? Probably for the better.

"But then why come in here and not escape? Perhaps you're  _looking_  for something? A beaststone attuned to you, perhaps?"

Kaden grit his teeth. The man's voice grew closer.

"Well, no matter. You won't find it here. It's already been sold, likely for a fraction of it worth along with all the other thing these grunts thought of were of some value."

The man stopped practically right by where Kaden was hiding. Not good. The pain from his injuries was making him not think straight and he'd let the man get right where he was instead of moving before he got too close.

"Don't worry. I'm not here to kill you, or even capture you. You shouldn't think so highly of yourself since in the end, you don't matter at all. You're nothing more than a nuisance getting in the way."

Kaden charged out, running past the man who had stopped just past his hiding spot. The door was so close-

Runes popped into existence in front of the closed door and an instant later, the man was there. The cowl of his cloak was still drawn, but he could see the smirk on his pale face, and the long dark hair poking out. Close as he was this time, Kaden saw a tacky looking glided mask covering his half of his face.

"Running away, kitsune? That's just rude, especially when I want to help you."

Kaden backed away, looking for something to put between himself and the man in case he decided to fling some magic his way. "You call what you did  _help_?"

"Collateral damage. Right now I'm giving you an opportunity. Leave Robin and I won't kill you next time we meet."

"What, so you can kill Robin easier?"

"Kill him? Is that what you believe my goal is?" The man let out a laugh. "So short-sighted. Tell me, kitsune. What do you owe this man? He's a murderer, more than twice over. Why did he kill the archduke, the head of a peaceful nation?"

Kaden glanced down at the satchel. Could throw it? Use it as a distraction and then run past? No, that wouldn't work.

"Did he even realize or even care how much the peace of that nation depended on the archduke? The whole place is in an uproar. Assassination, succession turmoil. Likely it will get drawn into the Hoshidan-Nohrian war before long if Nohr gets wind of it. Mokushu is sure to follow that same pattern.

The man spread his arms. "Don't you want freedom? To not be tied down by debt or burden? Staying with him will get you  _none_  of that."

"What's your game? Why are you telling me this?"

The man frowned. "This is no game to me, nor should you ever mistake it as such. As I said, I'm trying to help you. Do you  _wish_  to labeled with Robin, to be hunted down until your inevitable capture and execution? He's killed the head of two nations already, who's to say which one is next. The queen of Hoshido, perhaps?"

"Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh I know  _far_  more than you think. I only have your best interests at heart."

The door slide open and Robin charged through. The man rolled his eyes and the runes of teleportation swirled about him right before Robin's stolen katana swiped through thin air. He reappeared close outside on the landing.

"I can tell when I'm unwanted. Goodbye, kitsune. I hope for your sake this is the last time we meet."

And with a flourish of his cloak, he teleported away.

Robin's hand landed softly on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Kaden let out a breath. "I'll live. He didn't try to attack me. I just need healing and rest, really."

Robin gave him an appraising look before he lifted his hand off his shoulder. "If you're sure." He glanced to the satchel. "Did you find your beaststone?"

"No. If that man was telling the truth it's been sold off with our other valuables."

"That's…unfortunate."

"Understatement of the week."

"At least my cloak was still there."

"Nice to see where I fall on your priority list," he muttered.

"Hm?" Robin glanced back at him.

"It's not important."

He shrugged. "If you say so. Find a cloak to throw on and we'll get out here, and get to the  _Black Lotus._ "

"...Right."

To get another beaststone, he'd have to…well. He'd cross that bridge when he got there.

* * *

A polished bamboo stick seemed to come out of nowhere and slap Shura's cheek.

"Watch it, granny," Shura growled.

The proprietress of the  _Black Lotus_ let out a  _hmph_  and lowered the bamboo stick back to its resting place masquerading as a walking cane.

He saw Robin look up from his seat in the emptied out tavern where he was reading something, a ridiculous looking shabby cloak now adorning him. The proprietress made a 'none of your business motion' and Robin raised an eyebrow, before wisely going back to reading.

The proprietress was an older woman. Older than Shura, who'd barely been twenty when she was nearing forty when Kohga fell.

She was old enough to remember Suterusu before Kotaro took over. Her village had supported it, surviving, thriving even in part from its wine export. But the village elder had been sympathetic to Kohga, so Kotaro's men had burned it to the ground.

She'd been lucky enough – or unlucky depending on how you looked at it – to be outside her village when it happened. Quick enough on her feet to not get killed when they came looking for survivors, and just unsuspecting enough to set up a tavern right under Kotaro's nose.

He rubbed his cheek. Bent with age as she was, she was surprisingly spry.

She gestured into the room where the red-haired young woman – Anna, he reminded himself – was getting treated by the proprietress' granddaughter. "You let a young one like her go on your suicidal stint? For shame, Shura."

"If you'd listen to me more than a momen- stop it!"

She waved the bamboo stick threateningly again. "Respect you elders. Especially when they deign to grant you your wisdom."

"Look granny, she just showed up." Literally, but that wasn't something easily explained. "I don't know what she or Robin had against Kotaro, but I had nothing to do with it."

"So you were just planning on leaving her and the kitsune with me when your 'nameless group' left, hmm? And why are you in such a hurry to leave? Do you not like my company? You can tell me, I can take it."

Shura let out an annoyed sigh. "Cut the act. I can pay for her treatment if that what you're worried- oi! Would you cut that out?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Why not lay low here for a while and then take them with you after this blows over? They seem nice enough. The white-haired one seems like he's got a good head on his shoulders, and kitsune's senses are second perhaps only to wolfskin. And I shouldn't have to tell you how good having one of the Anna sisters on your side would be."

"That's not the issue. We need to keep this momentum up and keep pressure on Kotaro's men."

"Then why not stay here and let your crew do the work? You planned around potentially dying on this mission of yours anyway, so what difference does it make?"

"Moral."

"Then let them stay as well."

"You know as well as I do that you can't take that risk."

There was a tense silence.

"Stubborn child."

"Idiot grandma." The bamboo stick whipped out again, but he caught it on the palm of his hand. "You make your position clear, proprietress. Let me think about it and I'll give you my answer before we leave in the morning."

She smiled a wrinkly smile before she shuffled off in the direction of Anna's room, opening the door. "Good." The door slid shut.

"Good talk?"

He look over to see Robin, who had a growing smirk on his face.

"Shut it, kid, or I  _will_  leave you behind. We're going to have a talk in the morning, you and I." He walked further down the hallway and slid open the door to his own room, a private one the proprietress insisted he have, despite the fact that he always slept with his crew.

Whatever. He rubbed his eyes. After today, he seriously needed sleep anyway.

* * *

_What is my name?_

At this stage, they spoke only through the mind, so great was their connection. The one who called himself Forneus turned from his latest alchemy experiment to her, handing off a beaker to one of the voices, no, the undead, who shuffled off to place it back in its compartment.

She asked the voice to go back near him. It complied happily, sensing the moment.

He looked so fragile now, bent with age. His mind, which had never been truly right, was losing its tenuous control over the voices, over reality and over the 'thanatophages' or Death Masks as he now insisted they were called. Such a pretentious title.

Carving a likeness of his late wife's face on the mask covering the insect was the least macabre she'd seen.

Forneus looked up to her now. His blood had continued to stimulate her growth, and he'd moved his equipment to a larger space to accommodate her. It was almost touching.

" _Why do you want one? Why do you need one?"_

He was grasping at straws, at his tenuous grip on his own life.

_You were given one. Could I not choose one for myself?_

She had already done so, but he didn't know that. Both could see into each other's minds almost perfectly, but she kept that hidden.

" _You are my creation. A name is unimportant, so long as you fulfill your duty and destroy the senate."_

_Why should I care about your revenge?_

He scoffed.  _"Have you forgotten, my creation? They have trapped you, just as they trapped me."_

 _No, they sealed_ you  _in. Why should I desire revenge on ones I know nothing about?_

" _I have told you their sins, great and many, my creation."_

She stretched out. Forneus backed away. Rightfully so, considering how terror inducing she likely looked.

_And I've decided I don't care._

The voice nearby drew a sword and stabbed the self-proclaimed "demon-alchemist" through the heart. He fell, equal parts confusion and agony mixed with betrayal.

_Goodbye._

The voices cheered at his passing. Good riddance. She celebrated the moment by roaring.

_My name is Grima._

_**No.** _

No that  _wasn'trightwasn'thernamenothernamenothersthiswasn'ther._

She was Anna. Her name was Anna.

The lab shattered, and Anna was stood opposite…herself.

Not one of her sisters, herself. Too exact to be one of her sisters.

She took a step back, wary. "Who are you?"

Not-Anna regarded her curiously. Anna winced, doubling over and clutching her heart as it  _pulsed_ , twice in quick succession. Her arm, the scars, they looked almost like a tattoo now, black instead of grey.

Not-Anna spread her arms. "Right now, I'm you. Or close enough." She tapped the side of her head.

"You stuck me in your head, remember?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Azura encounters Robin's entry point, Kaden faces some hard questions/decisions and Shura needs aspirin.
> 
> Sadly, I also have to announce that I have to put this on hiatus until March 2021. But don't worry. Glitch will be back then. For those who stick around well...
> 
> We've only scratched the surface.


End file.
